The Forgotten Ones
by SasukeUchihasGuardian
Summary: "The Leaf Village has been destroyed. The village was completely demolished by the Nine Tailed Fox. There were no survivors." But what if two people did survive? What will the two Genin do? NaruSasu/SasuNaru friendship story. Can be seen as light yaoi. STORY IS ABANDONED.
1. Homeless and Alone

**The Forgotten Ones**

**Summary:  
>"Konoha has been destroyed. The village was completely demolished by the Nine Tailed Fox. There were no survivors." But what if two people did survive? What will the two Genin do?<strong>

**Rating: T**

**By: SasukeUchihasGuardian**

**A/N Just to let you know, the prologue is a songfic, but the rest of the story isn't. Enjoy! :)**

**Chapter 1: Homeless and Alone**

_Prologue:_

There was a dreadful scream, followed by a deafening crash and a bloodcurdling howl. The Nine Tailed Demon Fox roared angrily as it smashed its giant foot down directly on top of the Hokage's mansion, its claws digging into the destroyed building that began to crumble underneath the weight. Below, a small crowd of villagers attempted to escape the debris, to dash to safety, but the growing flame wafted in front of them all, engulfing them in the heat of the searing inferno.

_Let's watch this city burn, from the skylines on top of the world, till there's nothing left in her, let's watch this city burn the world_

A few other terrified villagers hopelessly sprinted for it, but one of the demon's massive tails shattered the top of a roof, sending it collapsing down on them, crushing them all under its mass. The few that remained cried out in sheer agony, screaming for anybody to help them as the fire drew close, but knew it was futile. More screams arose as the blaze overtook them.

_Body doused in ash with two empty cans of gas, the only evidence they have is the police sketch of my mask, and it's hard at times to ask if you can save my heart for last_

There was another crash and another howl as the fox raised its head, snarling at everyone down below. Two piercing red eyes glowered at the people underneath, sending shudders of terror down their spines. As a muscular tail sent another structure crashing down, a trail of black smoke climbed higher into the sky, turning it murky and distributing ashes over the entire village, burning and constricting the throats of the villagers that were trapped underneath it.

_It's hard to face the facts, when the darkness fades to black. It's not just make believe, when they make me take a seat, and they put amphetamines in the air and make me breathe_

Flames suddenly washed over a small group of children, and they screamed in horror as the temperature around them flared. Some of the ninja who were still alive managed to grab them and bring them to safety. Half of those ninja never made it out of the inferno.

_So come on and grab your children, look out for burning buildings, and villains who pillage, they're killing the millions and billions of people die for a lost cause, and so I pray to my nation destroyed under God_

A single paper bomb was thrown swiftly at the demon's face, discharging under its muzzle, but it seemed unscathed as it roared furiously and killed the man who hurled it with a swift strike of its tail.

_All my battles have been won but the war has just begun_

Blood red eyes fixed upon the destroyed Hokage tower, where some ninjas were attempting escape through without being noticed. It slid a tail across the earth straight through it to annihilate everyone inside. Towards the border of the village, there was an explosion and more smoke rose into the atmosphere, turning it to absolute blackness. The demon roared again and used its blood-spattered fangs to shred the top half of a building off, dropping it onto the already half smashed hospital.

_The city looks so pretty do you wanna burn it with me, till the skies bleed ashes, and the f*cken skyline crashes? We make ashes just with matches to ignite the flame, and all the hopes of a youth deemed f*cken insane_

Nine tails whipped violently in the sky, over the ashen full moon. Villagers that watched the fox began to realize that under that full moon, the demon could not be eradicated.

_They say take the pill, in God we trust, go and kill, God loves us, after life, after death, breathing till there is no breath_

In the distance, two ninja observed their home be completely destroyed by the demonic animal. Two teenagers, both only 13 years old, stood from on top of one of the few standing buildings left- the village border watchtowers. They were far enough away where if they fox were to assault them, they would have time to run. Both of them were throwing explosive tags, kunai, and any other weapons they had. It was no use. "RUN!" They yelled.

_I will not die in the night, but in the light, of the sun and the ashes of this world in my lungs, but who am I to say, let's all just run away? Grab your saints and pray, we're gonna burn this world today! It's the end of earth, we've been done since our birth_

The fox bellowed and continued demolishing buildings, slaughtering everyone near them. As it traveled deeper into the village, more smoke and ash filled the air. The two teenagers couldn't flee the beast's path any longer.

_The city looks so pretty do you wanna burn it with me?_

Flames engulfed more and more of the village as it passed through.

_The city looks so pretty do you wanna burn it with me?_

One of the tallest remaining buildings was smashed to the ground before exploding into debris and smoke.

_The city looks so pretty do you wanna burn it with me?_

The demon's piercing bloody eyes looked directly at the two teenagers, sending shivers down their spines. The fox's growl was deep and threatening, and it bared its fangs at them menacingly. Red and orange dancing flames began seeping out in between them. The two teens were completely vulnerable, watching the demon power up the attack that would end their lives.

_The city looks so pretty do you wanna burn it with me?_

The two couldn't run, and they knew that for a fact. Through the corner of their eyes they could gaze upon what was left of the village.

_We'll use the trees as torches, we'll fill the streets with corpses, we'll watch the city f*cken bleed, and bring the world to its knees_

Nothing was remaining but the inferno, debris and dead bodies of their fellow villagers. Streets were covered with spattered blood, and the oxygen was tainted with the smell of burning bodies. As they focused back in on the fox, they realized it was about to attack. One final breath and a link of fingers was all they could manage before the blast of chakra was shot directly at the structure they were standing on.

_Let's watch this city burn, from the skyline on top of the world, till there's nothing left of her, let's watch this city burn the world_

With nothing left in the village, the demon smirked in sick pleasure.

_Let's watch it burn…_

_Let's watch this city burn the world_

**Story:**

Naruto slowly blinked open his heavy eyes, instantly regretting it as the sunlight burned and left him blinded. He pressed his eyes shut again, exposing them more gradually the next time. He felt a terrible throbbing in his ankle and grunted weakly.

_I… I'm alive? But… but where's…?_ He hastily sat up, regretting it as his head pulsated. He clutched it and felt a thick liquid cover his hands, and he realized in horror that it was blood.

"Sasuke?" He glanced around swiftly, but he couldn't find his partner anywhere.

_No… he can't be…_ He thought. He leapt to his feet, but collapsed back down to his knees.

"Sasuke you can't die!" He exclaimed, looking around frantically for even a hint of his teammate's corpse. Every time he thought he saw him, he found that they were the dead bodies of other villages, some too bulky to be Sasuke's brawny hands, and some too frail and scrawny to be even a five year olds.

"Sasuke!" He shouted out again, crawling weakly on his hands and knees for him. He grasped countless hands that could've been his teammate, but he freed them after realizing that they weren't Sasuke's hand, but instead an additional corpse's frail limb.

"Sasuke…" he sobbed feebly, curling up into a ball. He couldn't lose Sasuke.

He suddenly noticed something that caught his eye- a smaller sized hand, with a small wrist warmer below it. He weakly crawled over to it and grasped the hand. Unlike the others that he had grabbed, this one still had a tiny bit of warmth. He lifted up the wreckage that was on top of the body, revealing a bloody, barely breathing Sasuke Uchiha.

"Sasuke…" he sighed in relief, dragging him out from below and pulling him tight to his own body and checking him over. Naruto was grateful he was unconscious, because if he was awake, he'd most likely be screaming in agony.

At least three or four of his ribs were shattered, and his ankle was gruesomely twisted backwards. Deep cuts and gashes were sliced all across his body, slashing through his clothing and one over one of his eyes, bleeding profusely. The skin that wasn't covered by blood was burned awfully, besides his face, which was astonishingly unharmed by the flames. His breathing was short and faint, close to one breath a minute. Not nearly enough oxygen for him to live on, and even someone as inexperienced as Naruto could distinguish.

Selecting his actions cautiously, he tried his best to recollect what Iruka had educated him on in the academy. Blinking the tears away at the thought of his beloved teacher being dead, he checked his teammate's condition the best he could with what he could recall in his frantic, traumatized mind.

He put an ear to Sasuke's chest, listening to his breathing. _It's even worse than I thought. _He thought shockingly as he put a finger to his neck, trying to ignore the tiny shriek of pain Sasuke emitted when he touched the burnt skin.

_How awful …_ He did the best he could do to restore his health. He unzipped his jacket and then pulled his shirt over his head, taking out a kunai and shredding it to pieces. He tenderly tied them around the wounds that were bleeding the most. He wrapped some bandages around his forehead and then around the eye that was cut. He made sure that he wrapped them under his bangs, and cover them thick enough that the blood wouldn't seep through immediately.

It was then that Sasuke opened his eyes.

The first thing he did was instantly scream in agony, grabbing his abdomen, but the sudden movement caused some of the closing wounds to reopen and he groaned feebly, turning his head to the side and longing that he'd just black out for the next few days.

Naruto stroked his hand gently to see if he was entirely awake, but he gasped and whipped his hand away, screaming in terror.

_He's not acting like himself… he must be scared out of his mind…_ Naruto thought sorrowfully.

"Hey… Sasuke it's okay… Don't move or you'll hurt yourself even more…" He whispered, gently grabbing Sasuke's hands and placing them at his sides. Sasuke's panicked breathing didn't slow down, but he gazed directly into Naruto's sky blue eyes. "Sasuke… relax… calm down…" He soothed, taking note of his heavy, panicked breaths. They were so much different than the ones he was inhaling before he had woken up. Naruto was curious why.

"W-where are we..?" He whispered, looking around at the debris and the small flickering flames.

"This is the village…" Naruto murmured sadly. "This is our home…"

Sasuke's eyes widened. "What? No! It can't be!" He tried to sit up, but he gripped his stomach. Naruto's arms wrapped around his abdomen and back as he laid him back down.

"Don't move so suddenly. I don't know what's wrong yet." He told him.

Sasuke grit his teeth. "No… no… this can't be the Leaf Village… our home… Naruto… where is everybody?" He gasped out, his throat feeling like it was on fire from inhaling all the wreckage and the smoke.

"There's no one left, Sasuke." Tears slid down Naruto's tanned cheeks. "They're gone. We're the last ones." He whispered huskily.

Sasuke shook his head, refusing to let the tears that stung his burning eyes fall. "No! It's a dream! This can't be real!" He cried. He didn't move when he felt two shaky arms wrap around his body and pull him into a solid embrace.

"It's not a dream… this is real. We have no one… but each other… Sasuke…" He murmured quietly, squeezing harder when he heard a sob escape his friend.

"No…" he choked out, finally letting the tears out. "Everyone… Sakura? Iruka? Kakashi? It can't be true!" He buried his face in Naruto's shoulder, and the blonde could feel the tears already soaking through his orange jacket.

He wondered what they were going to do. They were both injured terribly, Sasuke more than himself, with no possibility of being cured anytime soon. The fox was gone, so he wouldn't be able to heal quickly like all of the other times. He had no idea where the demon that destroyed his home even went. He wasn't concerned about himself, since he knew he would be alright. Sasuke was the one he was troubled about. He couldn't walk or hardly even move. He was losing too much blood too rapidly, and he would die if he didn't get assistance soon. Even someone as inexperienced and clueless as Naruto could figure that much out.

"Sasuke… we have to get out of here." He whispered, leaving out the reasons why. It felt odd that he was the one in control of things. He would have presumed that it would be him having a breakdown on the ground, hurt, terrified, and traumatized. Never Sasuke. He figured it'd be Sasuke that would be telling him to get out of the village. Not only was the wretched stench of the burning bodies and smoke filling their lungs, but the small flames that were left of the once raging inferno were slowly but surely creeping up on them.

Sasuke just nodded weakly, and Naruto noticed that his crying was down to small hiccups, and his eyes were glazed over in pain and that his whole body was trembling.

"Sasuke?" He whispered unsurely, touching his cheek. He twitched faintly, but then went motionless again, looking up at him with lidded eyes.

"Don't you dare die on me, Sasuke! Don't you dare!" He yelled, making him flinch at the words. Naruto stood up on his feet, paying no heed to the agony that shot through his body as he did. He kneeled down and lifted Sasuke into his arms.

"We're going… we'll go to the Sand Village and ask for help. They'll heal you up, since our villages are- were- allies." He whispered, his voice almost cracking when he corrected himself. Sasuke just nodded, half aware and barely even able to understand him or register who he was. His eyes began to close, but Naruto shook him a little to wake him up.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Sasuke… Don't you dare close those eyes… you haven't killed your brother yet so don't you dare go to sleep…" He said, holding him closer to his chest to relieve himself more than to ease his teammate. Sasuke shifted in his teammate's arms, trying to make himself more relaxed.

Naruto, doing his complete best to ignore the tremendous pain that was coursing through his body, began to walk into the forest, towards the direction of the Sand Village. He knew if he didn't get there in time, they'd both eventually die.

"N-Naruto?" Sasuke asked five minutes into the walk, breaking the silence that had hit the two of them like a brick wall. Naruto looked down at him and waited for him to finish his question.

"Why… why is m-my eye band…aged? W-why did you wrap one of… my e-eyes?" He asked. Naruto drew in a shaky breath before answering.

"You have a deep cut in your eye… they'll fix it at the Sand Village." He told the traumatized boy.

Sasuke didn't give it much more thought, fully believing Naruto. Even if he wanted to, he was much too hurt to even register half of what Naruto was even saying. He closed his eyes again, and when Naruto tapped him gently, his eyelids only opened a fracture, before sliding back down again.

Naruto tried his best to rouse the sleeping Uchiha, but he wasn't waking. Naruto found that since the adrenaline wore off, Sasuke couldn't keep himself conscious for long and that his breathing was back to being shallow and pained.

Still going against his body, Naruto quickened his pace. As he walked he realized something dreadful.

He had nothing to live for anymore except his best friend.

Sasuke was all he had left.

**~TBC~**

**New story chapter 1 completed! :D Please review and tell me what you think! No more of it will be a songfic I promise! Thanks for reading! :)**

**The more reviews, the faster I update, so please review and tell me what you think! :D**

**Until next time!**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	2. Penetrating the Darkness

**The Forgotten Ones**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian~**

**Chapter 2: Penetrating the Darkness**

It was excruciating. Naruto couldn't believe how unbearable the agony truly was. Carrying Sasuke's limp body so gingerly while trying to ignore his own pain coursing through his body. His legs throbbed more and more with every wobbly step he took. He fought greatly to pay no attention to his misery.

Sasuke hadn't moved since the minute he passed out. His body was so limp, that Naruto wouldn't even notice a difference if he were to pass away silently. The only way he knew he was alive was when he put a hand on his stomach, feeling the tiniest rise and fall of his chest, or leaning in by his face and hearing the small gasps of air passing through his chapped, parted lips. He could hear the slight hitch to it, reminding him of Sasuke's agony as well as his own, which he used as motivation to press forward.

Sasuke suddenly let out a dry wheeze, the first sign of life he had showed that day. Naruto stopped walking momentarily to glance down at the weak teen in his arms. He tensed and his body curled unconsciously and he let out a shrill cry of pain. Both internal and external wounds reopened at the sudden movement, making his suffering double. A sharp hiss escaped him, tears leaking from his eyes as he curled up tighter, trembling uncontrollably from the pain. He was whimpering and breathing heavily, sweating profusely, and he was ghostly white.

Naruto hadn't realized this until he had stopped to actually take a good look at Sasuke, and with slight panic, he dashed clumsily to the nearest tree, where he lied his teammate down delicately in the warm grass. He shrugged off his orange jacket, leaving his upper body completely exposed. He folded it neatly and used his free hand to slide the jacket underneath Sasuke's head carefully, giving him a makeshift pillow. It wasn't very good, but it was the best he could do at the time. Sasuke cracked open his eyes slowly for the first time since he had fallen asleep, glancing around sleepily, which Naruto took as a sign of him regaining some awareness. He patted the top of his head reassuringly, and watched him sigh in relief, knowing he was safe.

"We're in the forest." He told him with a hushed voice. "We've almost made it out, and the path will lead us straight to the Sand Village. In our conditions, we'll probably reach it in about a day." The news felt like a relief to the Uchiha, as if a weight was suddenly lifted off of his chest. Feeling a bit calmer, he simply closed his eyes, but remained conscious as he tested his voice.

"Are… are we s-staying here… for the night?" He asked, glancing around again as if searching for any signs of danger.

"Yes. Walking around like this carrying someone of equal weight all day leaves a huge strain on your body… plus on top of my wounds that aren't too far behind yours on the level of severity. I need to rest…" He whispered breathlessly, feeling fatigue take over him, as if the full moon took away not only the sun, but also Naruto's strength. He tried to ignore the bitter chill of the late autumn breeze that nipped at his bare skin, but he knew he would survive. As long as Sasuke was comfortable, and kept alive, he couldn't care less about he slept for a night.

Sasuke had fallen asleep not too long after waking up, so Naruto took the opportunity to check over his damaged eye before he went to bed himself. Gently unwrapping the cut up shirt, he realized just how much blood had bled from the wound, and that even after hours of healing, it still was.

_No wonder he's so pale and cold._ Naruto thought. Since he never really paid any attention during his medicine and healing classes, he wasn't sure what to do about the nasty gash over the eye at all. He looked at it, running his fingers gingerly across the wound. Sasuke whimpered in his sleep, so Naruto immediately stopped. He sighed and sat back a second, looking at the bloody cloth that was now staining his hands.

_What do I do? I don't know if I should wrap this back around his head since it's stained with blood... but what if it doesn't stop bleeding unless it's covered? I could just end up infecting it and making it worse, but if I just leave it uncovered, I might be ruining his health even more too!_ He thought, a little frustrated that he didn't know what to do. _Why didn't I think before just taking this off?_ After a second, he carefully wrapped in back around, this time a little differently so the old blood wasn't directly on top of the wound.

"There…" he whispered to himself, satisfied with his decision. He lied down on his side, pressing his slightly arched back up against Sasuke's arm, still bloody from his injuries. The air was cold, but he pressed into his teammate more. To him, Sasuke was like a furnace, replacing the warmth that his jacket had provided.

Content, he let his exhausted body and traumatized mind sink slowly into the black abyss of sleep.

Both boys were plagued with nightmares.

_~Naruto's Dream~_

A malicious desire to kill hung in the darkness, blanketing the air with tension and silence. A blazing inferno with untamed flames whipped wildly to morph and mold into the outline of the Nine Tailed Fox Demon.

Blue eyes widened in fear at the sight they were fixated on. A wave of terror washed through Naruto's trembling body, and he turned to run, but a massive barrier of bubbling crimson chakra shot up mere inches in front of him. He twisted his body around, only to be met with yellow, razor-sharp teeth parted open just slightly, but the crevasses in between them were still large enough for Naruto's whole body to fit in each one. The Demon's small exhales were enough to almost blow him backwards. He could smell the breath, a foul mixture of blood, rotting, and death.

Glancing up, Naruto could barely see above the massive snout, but he could just see the piercing red eyes glaring down at him. It sent chills down his spine, and he visibly flinched. Seeing this, the corners of the mouth curved upwards into a cunning smile.

"_**So we meet again, kit."**_Naruto watched the lips move as the words came out.

"No… it's impossible… you're outside of my body now… how are you talking to me? How did you… how did you get loose?" He yelled at the demon, seeing the cage that once kept it a safe distance from his body behind the long, pointy ears and the nine thrashing tails.

"_**I'm here kit… still in your body… and now that I'm free… I'm going to consume you in my hatred."**_ It chuckled.

"But… but how?" Naruto asked, taking a useless step backwards. The fox broke into a fit of wicked laughter.

"_**I want to kill you so badly I can taste it. The lust to crush that weak, little body until nothingness with my teeth is unbearable. But before I killed you, I had to make you suffer. I had to see your stupid face when you realized that everybody was gone. You honestly think I wanted to kill you there? No. I wanted to hurt you to the point of wanting to die, and then I could take over that retarded mind of yours and destroy you from the inside, along with that Uchiha. In fact, before I kill you, why don't I call him in here so you can watch him be crushed and consumed by my hatred before you die? Might as well take care of the dirty work now since the kid is sleeping."**_

It hit Naruto. "D-DON'T YOU DARE!" He screamed furiously, clenching his fists until they bled. "DON'T BRING HIM INTO THIS!"

"_**He was supposed to die along with everybody else. I wanted you to feel the pain of having everybody dead, but this works out even better. You get to watch your best friend, the only one you have left, get crushed by a demon."**_ He snickered, stretching his powers outwards to pull Sasuke's mind into the same darkness.

There was a blinding flash, and suddenly, Naruto turned to saw Sasuke standing a few feet away from him, eyes closed, still asleep and in his own dream world.

"Sasuke! SASUKE!" Naruto screamed at him.

"_**He's not fully here yet, kit. Most of him is still in his body dreaming, but when he's fully here, he'll be fully conscious to feel all of the agony I'll put him through."**_ It told Naruto blandly.

"Leave him out of this!" Naruto yelled back.

"Naruto? What's- AH!" He heard Sasuke gasp and when he followed his gaze it led back to the fox.

"Sasuke… run!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke was jolted back to reality, and he turned and ran for it, not sure where he was going since they were surrounded by blackness. Before he even got a chance to move, the fox had swiped a tail in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

Four tails grabbed him by each limb and raised him into the air, where they began to pull in all different directions. Naruto heard Sasuke began screaming and crying out in agony as each arm and leg was stretched. Each limb was pulled out of their sockets one by one, making him scream even louder, until he was finally dropped eve level beside his teammate. He couldn't even consider it ground since there was nothing that he had hit. It was if his body just slammed into nothingness and still felt the effects of crashing. He continued yelling and trashing weakly as Naruto ran up to him and asked him if he was okay. Another tail wrapped around Sasuke's torso, pulling him high up into the air, above the fox's head. Both Naruto and Sasuke screamed in horror.

"_**Ahh… finally, for the first time in centuries, I can taste that delicious, mouthwatering Uchiha blood."**_ Upon hearing this, Sasuke gasped and began thrashing more.

"NO! LET ME GO!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Naruto leapt to try to grab him but another tail sent him flying backwards.

"SASUKE!" He screamed as the fox flicked his tail, throwing Sasuke into his mouth. Naruto heard his muffled screams only seconds longer before the demon swallowed, and everything went silent.

"_**Delicious."**_ The fox taunted.

Naruto fell to the ground as tears poured from his eyes. "No… Sasuke!" He cried. "No… no… NO!" He didn't even notice the tail snaking up to him until it squeezed the breath out of him by holding him up by the neck.

"_**And you, kit, are dessert."**_ It smirked, before throwing him into his mouth and crunching down, causing immediate blackness.

_~Reality~_

Naruto woke up screaming. He shot up, his whole upper body drenched in cold sweat that dripped down his face and chest. He was panting heavily and he could barely contain the tears that were forcing themselves out of his eyes. His eyes were burning from crying so much in his sleep, and Naruto wondered just how long that had been visible.

_Had Sasuke woken up and saw it? No… he would've woke me up. Thank god… I need to stay strong around him… I can't show any fear or sorrow for his sake._ Naruto thought, finally able to control his breathing. He turned to look at his sleeping teammate, but when he did, he noticed that he was gone.

Terror washed through every inch of his body. "Sasuke? Sasuke!" He glanced around swiftly, but couldn't find him anywhere. He wondered where he could've went. Nobody would've came this way in the middle of the night without him or Sasuke noticing, and if he did notice, he would've woke him up right away. Through the darkness, he could just make out small puddles of blood leading from where the Uchiha once slept. Heaving his exhausted body upwards, he slowly followed them, quietly to make sure that if Sasuke was out there, he didn't alarm him.

It didn't take long to find the missing Uchiha. He found him just right across the dirt road in the forest, behind a couple of trees. He was lying under tree, in grass that looked a lot fresher and softer. He was curled up in a ball, the bandages from his eye in his open palm. Beside him was a small puddle of water, which Naruto assumed was from the rain two days ago. He suddenly realized why he took off the cloth, and he felt terrible. Even though he hadn't lied to Sasuke, he didn't want him to see the extent of the damage in fear that he would lose hope in himself regaining his eyesight.

_But why is he out here?_ Naruto knew that his teammate didn't crawl away in his condition just to look at his eye. He didn't know there was a puddle there, so he would've ended up crawling on the ground weakly for possibly hours before finding something to serve as a mirror. Naruto sighed sadly and bent down and lifted Sasuke into his arms, holding him to his chest. He could see dry tear streaks trailing from his eyes down to his chin, and some new tears caught on the top of his cheek bones, which Naruto wiped away gently with his thumb.

_Poor Sasuke… He must've cried himself to sleep…_ Naruto thought sadly. _I wonder why he came out here in the first place._

Walking slowly so he didn't bob when carrying his teammate, he made his way back to where they had slept. He lied Sasuke down on his side, making sure his head was rested comfortably on the jacket. Naruto lied down next to him, facing his teammate back. Sasuke's eyelids lifted up halfway to glance sleepily at Naruto, another tear slipping out, even though he wasn't crying anymore. Naruto used the back of his finger to wipe it away and he pulled Sasuke into a tight embrace.

"S-sorry… for l-leaving…" He whispered quietly, his eyelids slipping shut again. "N-nightmare…"

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. _Him too, huh?_ He thought, tightening the embrace.

"It's okay Sasuke… I… I had one too." He whispered quietly. "Don't worry, we'll get to the Sand Village soon and heal you up… and you'll be back to yourself soon." He told him, releasing the hug.

Sasuke nodded sleepily. "Thanks…" he murmured inaudibly, already feeling slumber take him again. Naruto sighed and closed his eyes too, and soon, both boys found themselves wrapped up in dreamless sleep.

_~The Next Day~_

When Naruto woke up the next day, the first thought that hit him wasn't very pleasant.

_The next day… it's only day two of being alone…_ He sighed sadly. When he stood up and stretched his body, he found himself with a lot more stamina than the day before. He checked his wounds over and found that they were beginning to heal nicely. When he bent down and checked over Sasuke, he found that besides the gash on his eye and the swollen ankle, the rest of his wounds were beginning to heal as well. With a sigh of relief and gratitude, he began to get ready to set out for the Sand Village. He slipped the jacket out from underneath Sasuke's head and put it back on, leaving it unzipped as he lifted the still asleep Uchiha into his arms. When Sasuke didn't stir, he began to walk again, heading out to the Sand Village's border.

As he walked, he wondered if his nightmares would ever go away, but after realizing something, he doubted it.

As long as Sasuke was there, he could avoid them. Sasuke was his only reason for living, and his only motivation for continuing their journey to the Sand Village. If Sasuke was dead, he wondered if he would've killed himself. The thought frightened him.

Sasuke was Naruto's reason for existence.

And Naruto was Sasuke's reason for existence too.

**TBC~**

**Sorry for that ending… I know it really sucked. Anyways here's chapter two. Thanks for reading! :D Please review! Sorry it wasn't as good as the first. It was one of those "no real action, just kinda somewhat filler" chapters.**

**~~~EXTRA~~~**

**And before I forget, I am always opened to suggestions, but please don't leave your ideas in a review. (I don't like when people use reviews for ideas. They're meant for reviewing, not ideas)**

**Please PM me or email me (preferred) You can email me at:**

**Fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com**

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**~~~ /End/ ~~~**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	3. The Definition of Worrying

**The Forgotten Ones**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian~**

**Alright everyone! Here's chapter 3… enjoy :)**

***By this way, throughout this story, Sasuke will have times of being his normal stubborn self (like in the manga and anime) and times where he is soft (Uke, except no relationships) He'll be a little stubborn in the beginning, and he'll get nicer as the fanfic goes on.**

**Why is he acting helpless now?**

**1) He's weak. 2) He's dying. 3) He can't walk. 4) He's severely traumatized. 5) He's delirious and feverish. 6) Because he's cute like that. 7) Because it's my fanfic, and I want to.**

**Yup. On with the story.**

**Chapter 3: The Definition of Worrying**

"Just hang on Sasuke… a little longer… we're almost there…" Naruto was breathing heavily, trying his absolute best to make it to the Sand Village. To get there, it was about a three hour walk through a scorching hot desert. Naruto knew that their fevers would only escalate with the dry heat pounding against them, but he had no other choice. It was either risk it all to get through the desert while dehydrated, tired, hungry, and wounded, or die before making it halfway to the next village. He had been slowly keeping pace for two hours now, and he was beginning to get worried.

His movements were slowing as his dehydration got worse, and with the wounds he had, he didn't dare try to run. He glanced down at Sasuke, whose breaths were slowly but surely becoming more and more shallow. Naruto wiped the trickling sweat from his forehead and took two more steps, but he fell to his knees instantly. It took all he had not to drop Sasuke into the sand that burned his toes when it flooded over his sandals. Using the very last of his strength, he lied Sasuke down gently, before collapsing onto his side, his breaths coming out in hot puffs that he could feel in his mouth before escaping.

"I… I'm sorry Sasuke… I'm so sorry…" he whispered.

"N-Naruto…" He didn't know Sasuke was conscious, or how long he had been, but he hoped it wasn't too long. He didn't want Sasuke to have to suffer in the heat. He hoped he would be able to sleep right through it.

"I can't… I can't make it… I can't go anymore… I'm so sorry… S-Sasuke…" Naruto wheezed, cringing slightly as the pain intensified.

"You… you can… Naruto…" He coughed, inching closer to his teammate the best he could, using every last bit of his strength to do so.

"Please… we'll die… if y-you… don't…" He coughed again, this time blood spraying the sand in between their faces.

"S-Sasuke… go… go on your own. Go and bring back help…" he whispered hoarsely. "I can't… I can't go on…"

"I… I c-can't…" he murmured quietly, his body beginning to shut down on him once again. He felt himself slipping back under the abyss of dreams. "N-Naruto…"

"The pain… it won't stop… I would… but t-there's just… too much… of it…" It hurt to speak.

"Pain… is t-temporary… you're… you're s-so close to… b-being healed… you… y-you can't… give up now… you can't die… so… so c-close…" he managed, just as his eyes slipped shut.

Naruto let his words soak in, knowing he was right. Pain was temporary, and they were close… too close to give it up. Naruto grit his teeth, knowing it would be challenging, painful, and extremely exhausting, but he couldn't give up. For his sake, and for Sasuke's.

With that, he stood. The pain increased, and he flinched, almost doubling over in agony again, but nevertheless, he was standing. He lifted Sasuke into his arms once again, feeling even more throbbing shoot through his body like bullets, but with his best friend's words fresh in his mind, he began walking. Then the walking turned into sprinting, which then broke into a run as fast as any uninjured shinobi's pace, ignoring the whip of his unzipped jacket when it hit him.

Naruto eventually found himself nearing the village gates and he sighed in relief. Instead of using it as a reason to slow down, he used it as motivation to speed up. He ran straight through the village, not caring about all of the gapes and the looks of bewilderment he got. He heard a few villagers gasp when Sasuke convulsed violently and sprayed quite a large amount of blood both into the air and onto Naruto's bare chest. People began clearing the way for him, so it only took a few more minutes before making it to the Kazekage's tower.

"Sasuke…we're here…" he breathed in relief. "You'll be healed soon enough, and then we can carry on with our lives! We're gonna make it after all…"

He opened the door and walked in without knocking, and suddenly, the Kazekage gasped and stood up, slamming his fist down angrily on the table.

"What do you think you're doing, barging in here?" He screamed ferociously. "Get out!"

"Please sir!" Naruto shrieked, causing the Kazekage stop yelling at once. After he realized that the boys weren't from Sand, he was shocked that two injured people from another village stumbled into his own land.

"Please you have to heal Sasuke! He's gonna die if you don't do something! Please sir! He won't survive much longer! He can't walk and he's blind in one eye and he's bleeding badly and it won't stop no matter what I do for him! Please help him before he dies! Please!" He cried frantically, unable to say anything formally since he was so panicked. He pulled Sasuke closer to his chest. He knew that the Uchiha couldn't handle anything else anymore. His body had gone passed its limit.

"Boy… what village are you from?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"We're from the Leaf Village… can't you ask us questions later? He's gonna die soon if you don't help him!" He yelled, listening to Sasuke's breaths get shallower and hitch slightly. He could hear the wheeze in it more clearly than before.

"Leaf Villagers, huh?" He said, his expression unreadable as he walked forward and got down on one knee. He cupped Sasuke's face and turned it to face him, a lot less gentle than Naruto had expected. He then held out his foot to examine the swollen ankle that was twisted awkwardly and painted a disturbing black and blue. Glancing down, he saw the pool of crimson blood growing bigger and bigger below as it dripped from the torn shirt that had been wrapped around it. Sasuke suddenly cried out in pain, his body convulsing as he coughed up more of the coppery liquid than Naruto expected. He whimpered in his sleep and curled into a ball more in his teammate's arms, trying to take in a breath that his lungs wouldn't allow. Feeling agitated, he began to move around and quiver a little, but he stilled when he felt a cool hand on his burning forehead, guessing it was Naruto. The Kazekage removed his hand from the boy's ashen skin, feeling the blazing heat radiating from it. He sighed and stood back up, glaring at Naruto.

"Get out. Now. If you leave now I won't order my village to assassinate you."

"What?" Naruto felt his blood run cold. It was if his heart had stopped. "We just need to be healed! That's it! Please help us! Our villages were allies!" He cried, desperate to save Sasuke's life, and probably his own.

"_we're_. Not anymore. Your village is gone, so why should I help the last two people remaining? There's no Hokage anymore that will threaten my position as Kage away if I say no. The Leaf Village disgusts me. Unable to take down that demon fox… it nearly destroyed my village because of their weakness! We lost many of our men to it until finally we were able to seal it!" He growled. "Do you know how many lives were trashed because of the Leaf's weakness?"

"It's not our fault that our village couldn't handle the Nine Tailed Fox! We're the last two alive and we need help! Sasuke's gonna die!" He yelled in frustration.

"Why should I waste medical supplies on you two measly little brats? You're not part of our village. I can't assassinate you by law since you're not rogues, but the threat stands as is. If you stay any longer, I won't be afraid to order my men to kill you. I don't care if you guys didn't have anything to do with the Nine Tails. Nobody was out on missions during the time the fox attacked your village, so it's not like your best ninja were away. You are the only survivors. How you two weaklings made it out alive, I don't know, but I also couldn't care less. Now get out of my village, you pathetic brats."

"But-"

"Get out!"

Tears of frustration leaked from his eyes. The words hit him like a brick wall. The pain coursing through his body was suddenly numbed by anger. _Hatred._ He _hated_ the Kazekage. How dare he treat them like dirt because of the village they were born in? Because of him, Sasuke would die, and he wasn't too far behind. He growled at the man before him, not caring that he had a higher status than him.

"I'll remember this. I'll forever remember you as a murderer who killed my innocent best friend, the last of the Uchiha Clan, because he was afraid of losing a little bit of his medical supplies." He hissed. _"You murderer."_

With that, he turned and walked out, not caring to see the expression on the evil Kage's face. He slowly made his way outside of the village, staring at his teammate the whole time to avoid the curious stares of the residents. He could hear them whispering about him and Sasuke, and he tried his best to block them out.

"_Where is he going? Why isn't he bringing that boy to the hospital?"_

"_That boy looks like he won't make it much longer!"_

"_What if that blonde haired boy hurt him? Does he even realize what he has done?"_

"_He's an idiot if he thinks that boy can survive without bringing him to the hospital!"_

"_That's Sasuke Uchiha! How did he lose to an idiot like that?"_

"_Shut up before he hears you, Akira! He may seem just as weak as the fallen one, but he might be a lot stronger!"_

"_Look at those two fools, thinking we'd accept them. They're clearly from the Hidden Leaf Village."_

Naruto had heard enough. He whipped his body around and screamed out at the people without thinking.

"Our village is gone! That stupid demon fox destroyed our homes and our families! That thing did this to Sasuke! He's dying and it's not only the fox's fault. It's your own STUPID leader's fault! He refuses to help him and because of this my only friend- the only one I have left- is gonna die!" More angry tears leaked from his eyes and he turned and ran. He didn't care to look back at the shocked expressions of the villagers. Adrenaline gave him the energy to run right out of the village gates and into the desert. He ran as far as his legs could take him, before collapsing back down into the soft, burning sand. He lied Sasuke down beside him and curled up in a ball and cried.

"I… I'm so sorry Sasuke! I couldn't save you!" He sobbed, knowing his teammate couldn't hear him. With his lack of medical knowledge, the only thing he knew was that Sasuke was either unconscious or in a coma. He quickly sat up with a surprised gasp when Sasuke let out a dry hiss, and coughed up blood that sprayed the air and covered the sand around him, along with his face. Naruto used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the crimson speckles away from the burning cheeks. His tears slid down his face, down to his chin, where they plummeted from tanned skin to ashen. Sasuke's eyelids fluttered a little, but the Uchiha didn't wake.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore. The trauma of losing everyone in the village was horrible. Carrying his best friend with his wounds made it worse. Then there was the dry heat and the fear of dehydration and death from the heat, and when he finally beats all odds and brings the only person he has left to safety, they kick him out, still injured, to die in the desert. Naruto knew he would lose Sasuke, and with his wounds too terrible to walk any farther, he would eventually fade away with his teammate. Exhaustion had taken its toll on the both of them.

"I hope… I hope… when I pass away… I hope we see each other again… Sasuke… in heaven…" he murmured quietly, squeezing the Uchiha's hand gently.

Naruto pulled him closer to him, but not so close that the body heat would make their temperatures worse. The blonde could feel Sasuke trembling, and he figured he trapped in a nightmare, and he felt terrible knowing he couldn't wake him up.

_~Sasuke's Dream~_

Standing on top of a building, Sasuke was frozen stiff as he watched the Nine Tailed Fox destroy everything around him. It had shattered every building except the one he was standing on. He wanted to flee, to run as far as his body would go, and farther, but it was if the fox's eyes paralyzed him and glued his feet to the cement. He watched as it rammed its snout into the hospital, then lashed a tail to destroy the Ninja Academy. It threw people, some dead and some alive, into its mouth using a massive tail, and Sasuke could hear the sickening crunch of bodies being smashed by razor sharp fangs. Blood began leaking from the lips that were pulled back into a snarl. He looked around him, seeing very few people left. One of the remaining survivors was Kakashi, who was running as fast as he could towards the building Sasuke was standing on. He looked back up at the fox, about to create a distraction for Kakashi, when suddenly, he noticed a man standing on top of the demon's head.

"I-Itachi?" Sasuke gasped. Crimson eyes lowered to look at him, sending a shutter of fear down his spine.

"Foolish little brother…" The Akatsuki member whispered. "Mangekyou Sharingan!" In an instant, Sasuke was trapped in the genjutsu, for what his brother had said was a week. He had lost count after a few hours. After the genjutsu broke, Sasuke fell forward, dizzy and almost completely unconscious from the powerful attack his brother had used. He began to plummet to the ground, but before he could land, fangs began to close in on him. The fox clamped down, and all he could see was darkness.

Similar nightmares, some a better some worse, continued playing in his mind over and over. No matter what he did, even though he knew he was dreaming, he couldn't escape the darkness he found himself drifting in. He realized the scariest thing about it all was that he was truly alone. Trapped in his own nightmares without Naruto.

The only thing that eased the dreams was when he felt a gentle hand squeeze his, and a familiar voice whispering his name.

It was the only reassurance he had that he would eventually wake up from these nightmares.

But little did he know that when he woke up, he wouldn't be healed up in the Sand Village Hospital like Naruto had promised.

His nightmare was only beginning.

**~To be continued~**

**Yes, yes… I know that was terrible. Bite me.**

**Oh no! The Kazekage didn't heal Naruto and Sasuke! What will they do? Next chapter might come out sooner than usual… as long as you review :)**

**Last chapter didn't get very many reviews… please review guys! I lose motivation easily without them!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	4. The Invisible Guardian

**The Forgotten Ones**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian~**

**Chapter 4! :D Please review at the end! ^_^**

**Chapter 4: The Invisible Guardian**

"Hang in there Sasuke…" Naruto murmured, putting his hand on his teammate's forehead. He quickly drew his hand back, not expecting Sasuke's temperature to be so high. He sighed and rested his hand back onto the hot sand again. He closed his eyes tiredly, when he heard Sasuke coughing dryly. Normally, he would've opened his eyes to make sure Sasuke was okay, but he had heard the coughing countless times before, and he knew that it was pointless. He couldn't do anything to help Sasuke anymore.

He didn't know how long he had sat out in the scorching heat. It could've been minutes, it could've been hours. It felt like days to him, so he didn't really pay attention. His dehydration was beginning to really affect him. He felt too weak to even move anymore, and he was beginning to get delusional. The only escape was sleep, but in his sleep, he was plagued by horrible nightmares from the fox, who claimed that when he escaped, he had left some of his chakra inside of Naruto so he could still communicate with him. Naruto hadn't believed him at first, but when the fox proved it by lending Naruto some chakra, confirming it true, he just shuddered and tried to forget that the fox was still partially inside of him, probably laughing at him from wherever it was sealed away in.

He groaned weakly, trying to block the rays of sun from his face so he could go back to sleep. It took awhile, but eventually he was able to finally drift off, praying that his dreams wouldn't turn into unpleasant nightmares.

_~Timeskip~_

It was sometime hours after Naruto had fallen asleep, that Sasuke blinked open his eyes. With a quiet moan of pain, he curled up into a ball, closing them again as the sunlight blinded the exposed one. He had never felt so weak and thirsty in his life. It was excruciating, as if his own blood was being used for replacement of water. He could feel his own life draining away, as if the sun beating down on him was making him sweat out his own energy into the soft sand beneath his body.

Why wasn't he recovering in the Sand Village Hospital? Why was he still stuck in the scorching desert heat? Why was he still blind in one eye?

He heard sand being squished underneath the weight of a body, and he assumed it was Naruto. He opened his mouth to say something, but only a moan of pain escaped instead. He suddenly felt hands on his broken ankle, and he suddenly cried out in pain. The hand immediately let go, resting his foot back on the warm sand.

The same hand was on his forehead next, checking his temperature. Sasuke immediately realized that it _wasn't _Naruto. This hand was too big and too muscular to be his teammate. He tried to open his eyes, but immediately closed them again as the light blinded him once again before he could see. He felt another cold hand, which he recognized as a female, placed over his eyes, and then another one that gently peeled back the bloody cloth to examine his eye. The coolness was a relief to Sasuke, and he leaned into the touch, having not felt anything cold since he was back in his house in the Leaf Village.

Someone suddenly rolled him onto his side, and he could barely make out a few gasps. He suddenly felt multiple pairs of hands on him, some grabbing his ankle again, some on his forehead, some stroking his hair and cheeks. There was one that had lifted Sasuke's shirt, and he assumed they were checking for wounds. He suddenly felt the hands grip a little tighter onto his ankle, and he suddenly screamed in agony, and he could've swore his throat started bleeding from the dryness.

He heard angry and confused voices raise and then quiet down again. A female hand suddenly cupped the side of his face, and then he felt arms slide underneath his neck and knees, lifting him off of the ground. A hand brushed the sand out of his hair with one quick pat. He could barely make out what they were saying.

"_Let's get him back to the base."_

Sasuke suddenly began to struggle violently, using energy that he didn't have to waste to thrash in the arms that were holding him. They immediately dropped him, and then he heard a curse and people begin to yell.

"_You idiot! How could you just drop him like that? You could've killed him while he's in such a fragile state!"_

Sasuke forced his one eye open long enough to spot Naruto lying only a couple of feet away. He reached out and grabbed Naruto's wrist, pulling his body towards him. Hands tried grabbing him again but he lashed and clung to Naruto desperately, refusing to leave without him. A hand was placed on his trembling back.

"_Sasuke Uchiha… you're exhausted and your near death. Let us take you back to our campsite and get you healed up."_

It was tempting, but Sasuke refused to go without Naruto. He'd rather die with Naruto in the desert than live on without him. Hands wrapped around his waist but he jerked violently.

"NO!" He screamed out, immediately regretting it as he broke into a coughing fit, blood spraying everywhere. Multiple pairs of hands were suddenly grabbing him and pulling him away from Naruto, but he quickly jolted again. He didn't care how damaged his throat got anymore, or how exhausted his body would become. He didn't care if it went into overdrive.

"NARUTO! LET ME GO! NARUTO!" He screamed, more coughing fits and blood erupted from his throat, crimson splashing onto his holder's clothes and the sand beneath him.

"_Calm down Sasuke Uchiha!"_

"NARUTO!"

"_Stop screaming! You're going to damage your throat worse!"_

"I DON'T CARE! NARUTO!"

"_Okay okay! Sasuke, we'll take your friend with us, but please stop yelling or you're going to die…"_

Sasuke immediately stilled in his holder's arms, relaxing his body completely after he heard those words. He and Naruto were going to be healed. He didn't know who it was that was holding him so gently, who it was that was comforting him so much, but whoever it was, he trusted that he was in safe hands.

"Where… w-where is he..?" He whispered, straining to look around for his teammate with his one good eye.

"_Relax… we have him. He's in a pretty bad condition too. Don't worry, we'll heal you guys up."_

Trusting in the words, he leaned into the warm body, his own beginning to once again shut down on him. His previous actions left him completely exhausted. Another hand rested on his forehead, and as he opened his eyes to look up, it slid down to cover them very lightly. It was gentle enough to not hurt his blinded eye.

"_Stop worrying and go to sleep. The next time you wake up, you'll be in a lot better condition."_

Sasuke was asleep before she lifted her hand from his eyes.

_~Hours later~_

When Naruto opened his eyes, he realized he was no longer in the desert anymore. He was in a cave, with a small fire blazing a few feet away from him. His senses slowly came back to him one by one, and he gasped, his eyes widening as he sat up. He remembered his wounds immediately wondered why the pain wasn't as grueling as it was before. He looked down and realized he was stripped down to his boxers, and his whole entire body was wrapped with bandages. His wounds were all healed up, and since he knew he wasn't at Sand, he wondered why someone with medical jutsu knowledge wasn't at their village.

He couldn't see anybody, but since the fire was only illuminating the pitch black cave two feet around it, Naruto couldn't tell if there was anyone else with him.

Suddenly, he remembered Sasuke. With a gasp, he stood up, but felt a sharp pain in his side, causing him to fall back down to his knees and hold his stomach, gritting his teeth.

"I wouldn't move too much. You just healed up and your body is still trying to recover." He heard a male voice talking to him. When Naruto looked around for the source, the man stepped by the fire so he could see him.

The man was tall, with short brown hair and a black swirl on his right cheek. His body didn't look as masculine as Naruto thought it should. He was clad in short black shorts with a silver dragon on the left side. His sleeveless black shirt had the kanji for power written in the middle, cut in half by the zipper. Besides the black and red striped fingerless gloves, the rest of his body was covered with fish net.

"Who are you? Where's Sasuke?" Naruto demanded, getting into a defensive stance.

"Relax. Naruto, isn't it?" He replied. His voice sounded a little higher than he expected, but it definitely did still sound like a grown man's. Naruto guessed he was in his late 20s.

"How do you know my name? Who are you?" Naruto growled.

"I know you're name through Sasuke… and about-"

"You know Sasuke?" Naruto interrupted. "Where is he? What did you do to him?" He yelled.

"He's right beside you, still asleep. He's exhausted. Don't wake him up." He replied, unfazed by Naruto's rude interruption.

Naruto whipped his head around, and sure enough, Sasuke was lying right by him. He was above Naruto, their heads almost touching each other. He was facing away from the fire. He was bandaged equally to Naruto, and his torn shirt over his face was replaced by real medical bandage. Naruto wondered if they fixed his eye, or if he was blind forever. Either way, he was alive and that was all that mattered at the moment.

Naruto sighed in relief, and turned back to the man standing above him.

"Who are you?" He asked, his voice a lot softer than before.

"I am the leader of this rogue group. My name is Aoi Shibuya. You're very lucky, Naruto. When we found you guys we were planning on killing you off…"

"So why didn't you?" Naruto asked, a little afraid to hear the answer.

"We saw the Uchiha crest on the back of his shirt." He gestured to Naruto's sleeping teammate. "We immediately recognized him as Sasuke Uchiha. When we found out that he _had _survived from the Leaf Village's downfall, we picked him up to take him back with us. We didn't think he had the strength to thrash around as much as he did when he found that we weren't bringing you. Despite tearing up the skin in the back of his throat by doing it, he screamed your name endlessly, refusing to come with us unless we brought you too. You're very lucky. He'd rather die alongside of you than to be healed and live alone."

Naruto's heart leapt at that statement. He'd rather die with him than live alone?

"In other words… if that boy hadn't tore apart his throat, pressed his body far passed its limits, and fought the urge to lose consciousness, you would still be out there, probably dead by now."

Naruto instantly felt guilty. "I… I can't believe he… he did that…" he whispered.

The man walked closer to him. "You obviously know by now I'm not your enemy. You and Sasuke are safe, but your body is still severely injured, and it needs to heal. Go back to sleep." He told him. Naruto normally would've protested, but he knew that the man was right. The last thing he wanted to do was upset the man who had healed him. He lied down, scooting up a little more so he could see Sasuke's face. He reached for Sasuke's hand and gripped it gently, squeezing it as he did before back in the desert.

"Thank you… so much Sasuke…" He whispered. He remembered something he had told him.

"_Pain… is t-temporary… you're… you're s-so close to… b-being healed… you… y-you can't… give up now… you can't die… so… so c-close…"_

_Pain is temporary… is that how you forced yourself through your agony?_ He wondered.

With a sigh of relief, he closed his eyes, and sleep peacefully took him.

_~Two days later~_

When Naruto woke up again, the sun was high in the sky, and the fire was dulled down to nothing but hot ashes. Now that he could see in the cave, he looked around and noticed a small group of people farther into the cavern.

There was seven of them. Five men, and two women, with the leader missing. One of the females noticed he was awake and stood up and walked over to him. The others followed her gaze to Naruto, who shifted a little uncomfortably under all of the pairs of eyes.

She kneeled down in front of him and put a hand on his forehead. "Your fever's broke." She said simply. Naruto just sat there, not knowing how to reply to her. After a minute, he just nodded.

"You were about to die, you know. I'm surprised you and your friend woke up in just two days."

"What? Two days?" Naruto bolted up. "Wait a second… Sasuke's awake? Where is he?" He asked. She pointed to the entrance, where Sasuke was leaning up against the wall, his eyes closed.

"He looks asleep to me." Naruto sighed. The woman nodded.

"He just dozed off. He isn't completely unconscious anymore. And to answer your previous question, yes, you've been asleep for two days. Both of you were. I'm surprised you two are even awake now judging by how serious your wounds were." She said, sending more healing chakra through his body.

"You're healing just fine. Another day of taking it easy and you'll be back to your usual self." She smiled and nodded.

"What about Sasuke?" He asked, a little worried.

"Well… his condition was considerably worse than yours… but he did manage to pull through. His throat was damaged severely when he was yelling for you, and during the small window of time he was conscious and talking to us, he told us it hurt badly to speak, so he might not talk too much. There's an herb that you can mash and mix with water and drink that helps soothe the throat, so we were going to try that…" Naruto felt even more guilty that he wasn't conscious and able to help his teammate.

"As for Sasuke's dehydration, we took care of that easily with lots of fluids. My medical jutsu healed up lots of his wounds that he had. He had some pretty deep cuts that almost looked like lashes from a whip…"

_Did the fox do that to him?_ Naruto wondered, listening to her continue.

"I managed to heal his ankle to the point where he can walk again, but he told us that it still hurt to walk, so he might not be able to make it too far until it fully heals. With the medicine I've been giving him, he should be fine by a week at the most."

"And… what about his eye?" Naruto dared to ask.

She sighed heavily. "That's what troubles me… I was able to take care of the slash itself… but I was unable to heal the eye itself back to normal. Since he's under a great deal of pain, I've been giving him a lot of painkillers to help with it, but even with a lot of medicine in his system, he says he's still hurting… so I'm not sure what to do anymore. I've done everything I can. When I healed it, I noticed that it was badly infected, which I believe to be part of the reason why I can't bring his eyesight back… I've done everything I can…" She told him.

Naruto fought back tears. "I… I can't believe… he's partially blind… my best friend…" He whispered.

"He may be blind in one eye, but he's still Sasuke. He will be able to overcome the disability and it will be his natural way of life. He will move on. He can still see and use Sharingan in one eye…" She told him, trying to comfort him.

The other female went over to Sasuke and gently woke him up, telling him that Naruto was awake. Naruto watched as Sasuke stood up, a little wobbly, and slowly made his way over to him. When Sasuke sat down beside Naruto, he was immediately tackled by his teammate in a firm embrace. Now lying on the ground with the blonde squeezing him tightly, he sighed softly, relieved that they were both going to make it.

Naruto was surprised when he felt arms wrap around him as well, pulling him tighter into the hug. He didn't know Sasuke would allow himself anything as intimate as a hug.

"Naruto…" he heard his teammate breathe his name in relief.

For the first time since the destruction of the village, Naruto could finally stop and take a second to breathe. For the first time he actually could actually tell himself that everything would be okay. He and Sasuke were going to live.

"I'm so happy you're okay Sasuke…" Naruto whispered. "Thank you so much… for… for everything… you saved my life…"

"And you saved mine… many times…" he told him. Naruto let go of him, sitting back up and straightening himself. He held out his hand and when Sasuke grabbed it, he pulled him back up. Sasuke's wince didn't go unnoticed by Naruto.

Sasuke turned to face the kunoichi that had woke him up, and then the one that had healed him.

"Why did you help us?" He asked.

She sighed. "Let me have our leader explain that to you. Hey Aoi!" She called.

A minute later, Aoi walked out from the darkness of the cave.

"They're both awake, and they have a question." She told him, bowing before stepping aside.

"I suppose you're wondering why you're here in the first place, huh?" He asked, receiving a nod from the both of them.

"We're a group of rogue ninjas from all different nations. We are made up of only the most elite ninja rogues. When we had seen Sasuke out in the desert dying, we had realized that he had survived the destruction of the Leaf Village. We only wanted Sasuke, but because he refused to go without you, we ended up taking you with us. We wanted to bring you here because we wanted to ask you a very important question…" He sighed.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"We want you to join our group. Sasuke is a very powerful ninja, and even though he's blind in one eye, his skills and Sharingan would prove to be very useful. As for you, Naruto, we have done our research on you. You definitely need some shaping up, but your shadow clones would be of great use to us as well. You guys would have a home here with us, and you wouldn't have to wander about like you've been doing. Amaya knows medical jutsu, so she can heal you if you get hurt, like before. You guys were near death and she saved you guys. Her jutsu is powerful. You wouldn't have to worry about food, money, or shelter here. What do you say?" He asked.

Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other uneasily.

"We… we can't accept your offer." Naruto said suddenly, making Sasuke's eyes widen a little.

"Really? And why's that?" He asked, not sounding as angry as Naruto thought he should.

"Because… Sasuke and I are going to travel across the sea and settle somewhere where there's no ninja! We're going to build our own home and we're going to live together away from all of the great ninja nations!"

"And where would that be?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm not sure yet, but we'll definitely find a place! Right Sasuke?" He turned to his teammate.

Sasuke seemed a little confused at first, but then he smiled and nodded. "Right."

Aoi sighed. "I guess it can't be helped."

Naruto suddenly stiffened. "What are you planning on doing to us now that you know we declined staying with you?" He asked.

"Absolutely nothing. It's not like I'm gonna force you to stay. If I did, you'd just flee the first chance you get." He sighed. "Stay here as long as you'd like, and when you're ready, we'll make sure you're off in the right direction."

Naruto grinned. "Really? Thank you so much!" He laughed. Sasuke just smiled and nodded to him.

"Hey Sasuke, I think we should stay one more night just to make sure we're fully healed, and then tomorrow go off. Your ankle will feel better soon, but we can't afford to waste time…" Naruto told him.

He nodded. "Good idea." He told him. Aoi smiled.

"Good choice. I'll make sure Amaya knows that you're staying." He said as he went to go talk to the medic, who had walked farther back into the cave.

Naruto sighed in relief and lied back down. "I still feel weak, but it's so much better than before…" he breathed.

"Of course." Sasuke said, a smirk plastered to his handsome face.

"You should rest too, Sasuke. You were, and still are, in a worse condition than me."

"I know… I will. The painkillers they gave me makes me really tired and I hate it… but they at least keep away some of the pain. If they weren't in my system, the pain would be unbearable…" He sighed, slightly embarrassed at his own weakness.

"Should we be staying here longer then, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "You're health is more important than getting out of here… if we don't have any painkillers with us, or if they give some to us and they run out, we'll be in trouble…"

"No… it would be better if we leave… you're right. As long as I get medicine for my eye, the pain will fade, and I won't need the painkillers."

"But if they make you drowsy, you're not going to be able to travel…" He protested.

"Don't worry about me… I'll be fine." He reassured him.

"You persistent little Uchiha." He laughed quietly, patting his shoulder.

"Hn. Idiot." He smiled, laying down next to Naruto.

The blonde couldn't help but give a warm smile. Oddly enough, it felt comforting to hear Sasuke talking like his old self again. It was reassuring to know that Sasuke was going back to being Sasuke, and not just his weak, dying, traumatized best friend.

Naruto turned around to face Sasuke. He was about to speak when he realized that his teammate was already sound asleep. With a small smile, he closed his eyes, and pretty soon, sleep pulled him under with his teammate.

They slept much more soundly than the last few days away from their destroyed home.

**~To be continued~**

**Well… thanks for reading! :D**

**This chapter happened to be quite a long one. There will be times that they are longer than the regular chapters, and times where they're shorter. Just depends on the content.**

**Anyways, this extra long chapter was written for Innertwined/Tokashi Yamatatsu**

**She's my best friend on here and her stories are AMAZING! If you like cute stories, or stories about Sasuke being hurt all the time (like mine XD) then she's the right author for you! Her work is a lot better than mine! :D**

**So please review this chapter, and then get your butt over to Innertwined's profile!**

**Fanfiction (dot) net / ~ innertwined**

**Also, for this story, it would be good to know the geography of the Naruto world. Here's the link to the map I use for this story:**

**Endless-naruto (dot) com / information / world_map / countrysm (dot) png**

**Remove spaces, and replace (dot) with a period for both links.**

**Until next time!**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	5. Prices Paid

**The Forgotten Ones**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian~**

**Ju Ju Berry-Chan – yea… this did kind of turn into light shounen-ai… but very VERY light. Let me put it this way… it's very LIGHT shonen-ai (there will be no kissing or anything else along those lines) but there will be HEAVY friendship actions that may make it seem like yaoi. The reason is because half of the audience wants yaoi, while half wants just friendship. And this way settles both (pretty close)**

**So I apologize to the people who 1, think this is too much for friendship, and 2, who don't think it's enough yaoi/shonen-ai for you… but that's how I've decided to run this story.**

**Btw, there were some changes to my life that will effects updates. I am now at my mom's house 100% of the time, so now I have access to a computer almost 24/7 (except obviously late at night and when she's using it) But…. I have school, which makes it very hard to update now. I'm doing my best, but please don't kill me if I don't update.**

**Remember, no matter how long it takes, I ****never**** abandon stories without finishing them.**

**Enough with my rambling… let's get on with the story!**

**Chapter 5: Prices Paid**

Naruto and Sasuke thanked the ninja who had saved their lives, bowing respectfully, before turning and exiting from the cave. The warmth of the blazing sun pounded against their skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps on their bodies.

Sasuke still felt groggy with the medicine coursing through his system. He was leaning onto Naruto a little for support, which only made him even more tired. He swore the blonde had a certain smell to him that easily relaxed him almost immediately. He shrugged it off as his nose playing tricks on him and tried to avoid thinking of it again.

As they began walking, Sasuke suddenly spoke, making Naruto jump a little as he didn't expect to hear a sound.

"Hey Naruto?" His voice was deeper than it had been the last few days, but he figured he was just used to it being higher since he had been in pain the last eight days.

"Yea?" He asked without turning his head.

"Were you being honest? I mean, are we really going to go find some place across the sea to live?" He asked.

"Well… maybe I exaggerated a bit." He grinned sheepishly. "Not all the way across the sea… but at least somewhere on an island, away from the mainland. Once we get a map, it'll be easier to find a place. I was thinking possible an island around Nagi Island and O'uzu island. Maybe even on one of those islands, if they're nice enough to live there." He shrugged.

Sasuke nodded with a sigh of relief. He was hoping the blonde wasn't lying about that. The thought of being isolated and freed of the hard life of a ninja felt calming. He had loved carrying out duties in the Leaf Village, but after an event so traumatizing, he wanted nothing more to escape from all the hassle. Owning a small house on a small island that had a small population sounded perfect for the two of them.

"Do you like that idea?" Naruto asked. "You're part of the decision too. I don't want to do anything you don't."

Sasuke couldn't describe in words how wonderful it sounded. "Yes." He breathed. "It's perfect."

Naruto's laugh was light. "Judging by the fact you never say anything like that, I suppose you really do like it. Alright then! It's set!" He grinned, and Sasuke couldn't help but smile back.

"So where are we heading?" He asked.

"I have no idea." He replied honestly. "They didn't have any spare maps. Aoi told me to just go straight until we find an open area. Then, turn left until we reach a top of a hill. Below that hill there will be an abandoned village. Go through that." He sighed, trying to recall the rogue's words that were dim in his mind.

"Well… we're at the field now." Sasuke sighed, seeing the trees begin to end a few feet in front of him.

Naruto laughed. "We made it!" He smiled. When they finally stepped foot into the grass, Sasuke immediately felt his body's energy drain from him.

"Naruto…" He whispered. The blonde felt his teammate suddenly slump, and all his weight was suddenly put onto his shoulder, making him wince.

"Are you okay?" He gasped.

"I need to sit down." He slurred. Naruto immediately helped him down to his knees, but he had to keep a steady hold on his back and chest or else he'd fall.

"I think it's time for your medicine… man… I wish I didn't have to give you so much of it…" They had given him a lot of medicine to take with to make sure Sasuke would heal and wouldn't be in pain.

Sasuke just groaned, and Naruto allowed him to gently lie down on his back. "You know the routine." He sighed.

Sasuke lifted up his foot, and Naruto rubbed a medicine onto the ankle. "How does it feel?" Naruto asked.

"It hurts… too much pressure on it…" He sighed. Naruto just nodded.

"Exactly how it was before too. I guess I'll be carrying you some more again." He shrugged. He wrapped some ace bandage around the ankle to help steady it.

"Open your eye." The command was simple, but after going through the routine a million times, Sasuke understood what he was talking about. He tore off the bandages on his eye and opened it, letting Naruto drip the medicine into it. He blinked a few swift times, using his hand to wipe what slid down his face. He closed his eye again as Naruto rubbed a cream onto the closed eyelid, and then used more bandage to wrap the eye in the specific way he was told. The new way still only covered the blinded eye and wrapped around his forehead, but it was much more secure than how the blonde had been doing it beforehand.

"Now open up." Naruto didn't even need to tell him. Sasuke's mouth was already open. He swallowed the foul-tasting liquid that was poured onto his tongue, followed by the two pill-like herbs.

"There we go!" Naruto smiled, approving his work. Before Sasuke could say anything, he was lifted into the blonde's sturdy arms. "Ready?"

He nodded, and before he knew it, the former demon vessel was already off again. Sasuke relaxed in his arms. Even though he hated being carried like a baby, he had to admit it felt good when his teammate did so, though he'd never admit it to the blonde.

He leaned back and looked up at the sky, watching as the clouds go by slowly. They were piled up and gray, so he figured there was a storm coming.

"We better hurry… storm's coming." He told Naruto, who shrugged it off. "I saw that." He replied.

Sasuke turned his head, wondering how it could be so warm and how long the sun would still be out. It looked like it wouldn't be too much longer, so he hoped they would find some shelter soon. He wasn't up for sleeping under a tree while the freezing rain pelted him every once in awhile and left him and the blonde shivering.

He turned his head towards Naruto, resting the bridge of his nose into Naruto's arms. He closed his eyes and sighed contently. He didn't mean to drift off to sleep, but he blamed it on the liquid medicine that made him extremely drowsy with its fast-reacting effects.

Naruto momentarily paused, looking down at the Uchiha, who had suddenly went limp in his grasp.

"Asleep, huh?" He smiled softly, before he began walking again.

_~Timeskip~_

Sasuke opened his eyes hours later. He didn't remember falling asleep in the position he was laying. Naruto still had an arm underneath his knees, but instead of having the other one under his neck, it was supporting his back, and his body was curled upwards, his head resting on Naruto's shoulder. The bridge of his nose now fit almost too perfectly with his neck.

If he wasn't feeling as crappy as he was feeling at the moment, he would have panicked and screamed at the blonde for putting him into such an _intimate_ position.

"Naruto…" He whispered quietly, "put me down…"

The blonde just smiled. "Conscious now? No… I don't think I will. Your ankle needs some time to heal, you know."

Sasuke groaned and pushed his head back so it wasn't so close to his teammate's neck. "Why did you move me to such an… awkward position?" He asked, choosing his usage of words carefully. He didn't want to make it anymore weird than it already was.

Naruto sighed. "You were having a nightmare..." He mumbled, his voice thick with sadness. "Judging by what you were saying, apparently it was about the fox destroying the village again, and this time, it killed me too, leaving you to slowly die in the forest." Sasuke was quiet as he listened. "So… when I was trying to calm you down, you just continued to cry, until I tried moving you. I put you in this position and you finally stopped."

Sasuke blushed furiously, his cheeks turning a bright red shade that almost seemed like a fever rash. "Put me down!" He yelled, a little flustered after hearing what he had done.

Naruto chuckled and blew it off. "No." He rejected, his voice too casual for the Uchiha's liking. "And don't you even think of struggling against me. You are in no position to." He flicked Sasuke's ear teasingly.

Sasuke growled and whipped his head to the side. He knew the blonde, though clueless most of the time, was right. He was relieved when finally Naruto shifted him back into his original position. Sasuke got goose bumps from the cold fingers pressed up against his exposed neck. He looked up as he suddenly felt a droplet of water, and groaned irritably.

"Hurry up, idiot…" He tried to huddle into Naruto's warmth without showing the blonde he was trying to do so. The chilly air sent shivers down his spine and he unintentionally gave a shiver.

"Well… we're at the abandoned village…" Naruto sighed in relief, "Let's see if there's a place to stay for now." He didn't hesitate for a second before he broke into a sprint.

He ran into the first building he could find. It was nothing more than a rundown structure covered with splintering wood and rusting nails. He ran inside without a second thought, looking around for anything that could possibly help. It looked like it was originally a bar, with barrels for chairs and wooden tables, with a wooden bar area in the far back. None of the other buildings around looked western at all, so it seemed misplaced in the abandoned town.

Naruto laid Sasuke down on a table, brushing the soaking bangs from his face. "Well… at least we're out of the rain…" he sighed, a little relieved that they were sheltered. "Are you okay?" He asked the seemingly worn out Uchiha.

"Yea…" Sasuke whispered. "I'll be fine…" He turned onto his side and curled up into a small ball.

"Better get your clothes off, or you'll get sick." Naruto put a hand to his forehead. "Scratch that… you are already. I'll go see if they have anything in here that will be of some use to us, just a second. While I'm gone, take that shirt off." He didn't turn around to see if Sasuke even followed the order. He assumed he had and walked into the rooms that were behind the wooden door separating the bar area from everything else.

Behind, the first thing Naruto walked into was a giant kitchen. He couldn't believe just how horrid it looked. There were dirty pots and pans from countless years ago, lying dormant in the sink, mold oozing out of them. Rats scampered around the floor, leaving feces all over the place. Naruto opened the cabinets, looking for some canned food products, but all he saw were spider webs and more rats.

"Disgusting…" He groaned. He decided to skip finding a meal here, instead looking for other things instead. There were only two more doors. He opened the first one, which had many holes punched through it. It happened to be a closet with many shelves each stacked neatly a foot above each other. On one of the wooden shelves was a thin green blanket. It was pretty worn down, but it was still a blanket. On another shelf was a neatly piled stack of towels, but most of them were dirty with smudges of an unknown black substance. Only two of them were clean enough for Naruto to deem usable. He grabbed them and walked into the last door. It led to a bathroom, which was even worse than the kitchen.

The smell was terrible. It reeked of feces and decaying animals, and Naruto had to plug his nose. Glancing around swiftly, he found a map of the town framed on the wall, which he quickly grabbed with one hand, thankful it was light so he didn't have to use both, and dashed out of the room swiftly.

When he returned, Sasuke was pretty much in the same position he was in before. He had obliged and taken his shirt off as he had asked him to, and it now lay discarded on the floor. He was trembling from the cold, trying his hardest to hold in the whimpers that threatened to escape from his throat.

"I got some stuff, Sasuke." Naruto told him. He first wrapped the towel around his exposed chest, wiping the dripping water from his pale skin, and then just draping it over him. Next, he used his free hand to hold Sasuke's upper body up while he used his other hand to wrap the blanket securely around him. After laying the Uchiha back down, he used the last towel to dry Sasuke's hair. He then folded it up neatly and slid it under his head to use as a pillow.

He sighed in relief, feeling his body beginning to warm up already. He snuggled into the warmth of the moth-eaten blanket, which hid the red tint on his cheeks.

"Thanks…" he whispered quietly, closing his eyes to get some much needed rest.

"Wait a second. Amaya gave me some medicine, since she figured you would spike a fever from the wounds. Guess you did, but just in a different way." He chuckled, digging around in his pockets until he found the small plastic bag with the mixed up leaves and different berries.

"She said to eat half of this, and wait six hours. If it doesn't get better, then eat the other half. Oh, and those leaves will taste okay, and so will the orange berries, but those yellow and brown berries will taste horrible." He laughed. Sasuke groaned and snaked his hand out of the warmth of the cocoon blanket, and began munching on the leaves. Naruto was right, some of the berries did taste horrible.

After eating half, he handed the bag to Naruto, who put it back in his pocket, and then he lied down and closed his eyes.

"Are you going to go to sleep?" The blonde asked. Sasuke was too tired to even reply, so he just nodded. Naruto just sighed and sat down next to him, and Sasuke was already out cold by the time he was comfortable, so he simply began reading over his map.

_A hotel next door huh? Maybe we should head over there after he wakes up…_ Naruto thought. He was zapped out of his thoughts when the door suddenly flew open, and a ninja was suddenly standing over him, dangerous chakra radiating from him as he held a kunai to Naruto's throat.

"And what do you think you're doing here?" He growled angrily. He looked like he was in his thirties, and he was clad in a skin tight black long sleeve shirt with tears going up the arms. His jean shorts were also ripped up along the sides.

"Who are you?" Naruto panicked. He immediately got in a defensive position in front of Sasuke, despite his fear of the man.

"Daisuke Akachi." He growled. "I'm the caretaker of this rundown town."

"Caretaker? This place is in ruins!" Naruto bit back resentfully.

"I'm the only person left from this village! I refuse to leave it, so I've been lingering around in this town since I was ten years old!" He screamed. "Leave now! I may be alone but I'm still a ninja!"

"Wait! We're not here to steal or break or do anything here! We're just here to get some information and some shelter from the storm! My friend is hurt and he's sick and has a fever! He needs some place warm to stay!"

"Your friend?" Daisuke looked around. "I don't see anyone." He growled at Naruto, who took a small step aside and lowered his arms a little to show the bundle of blankets and towels that wrapped around Sasuke tightly.

"Oh… I thought that was a bunch of towels and blankets you were stealing. I didn't even see a human in there…" He said. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I'm just really nervous about robbers around this area. Let me take you to the old hotel. It's also where I sleep, so everything important is there. It's right next door." He promised.

Naruto nodded with a sigh of relief, lifting his teammate into his arms. Sasuke groaned as he was woken up, but settled again, knowing that he was safe with Naruto. He ran a hand under his bangs and felt his forehead.

"That medicine isn't helping at all… in fact, it's getting worse." Naruto bit his bottom lip, chewing it until it bled. "Just hang on Sasuke…" he whispered in his ear. Sasuke just nodded and buried his face in the blanket more, trying to avoid the rain.

Daisuke led him to the structure next door, which looked a lot nicer than the previous building. Daisuke immediately led him into a very plain looking room. There was nothing but a bed and a nightstand with a light and a clock on the wall. Naruto listened to the older man when he told him to lay the sick boy on the bed. He pulled back the covers for him, and Naruto removed the blanket and towel. Sasuke immediately shivered from the cold on his naked chest, but after the giant fluffy comforter was laid on him, he stilled and fully relaxed his body, his head sinking deep into the pillow.

Daisuke excused himself out of the room, and Naruto waited patiently for him to return. Sasuke groaned and began to break out in sweat fairly quickly.

"Naruto…" He whispered. "I don't feel good…"

"I know…" He brushed the bangs out of his face. "Daisuke is gonna help us… just hang on a little longer."

Sasuke just nodded tiredly, relaxing into the bed more. Naruto figured he'd try to help him by changing topics to get his mind off of the pain.

"So… how good does it feel to lay down in a real bed?" He asked, smiling a little.

Sasuke's feverish smile seemed uncharacteristic to Naruto. "Nice…" he murmured, blinking his eyes heavily.

"Are you tired?" He asked the Uchiha, only receiving a small nod in response.

"Go ahead and go back to sleep." He told him, hoping he could sleep off the sickness lingering in his body.

Daisuke returned a minute later, carrying a ton of medical supplies. "Don't worry… since I live alone, I need to know how to take care of myself. I know as much as a medic from the Sand Village…"

He took stethoscope and listened to Sasuke's breathing carefully, with Naruto's help. Sasuke had already fallen asleep, so it made Naruto and Daisuke's work easier. Daisuke then looked into his throat, eyes, and ears. He made hand signs, and his hands began glowing.

"This isn't a medical jutsu, but it's along the lines of it. What is does is allow me to see his stomach on the inside. It shows through the fat cells and the muscles to see if there's anything in the inside. It could be anything from something he ate, internal bleeding, or even a virus that's attacking his system. I can see everything." He explained, as he ran his hands up and down his stomach slowly.

"Daisuke… is he gonna be alright?" He asked.

Daisuke didn't answer for another minute as he continued concentrating, until he finally let out a heavy sigh and stopped the flow of chakra.

"I know from your appearances that you're Naruto and Sasuke, the survivors of the Leaf Village. I know you've been wandering around on your own, but what the heck are you guys living off of? More, what has he eaten in the last few hours?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Huh? I haven't eaten anything for a long time now. All Sasuke ate was some leaves and berries some people gave us to help his fever…"

"Some people? Nobody around here is trustworthy. Who did you accept herbs from?"

Naruto explained the situation with Aoi and Amaya giving them herbs for Sasuke's sickness in great detail.

Daisuke groaned. "They're a group of powerful rogue ninjas alright. They try to recruit powerful ninjas by helping them. If they refuse, they kill them off in ways that don't trace back to them. The medicine that they gave him after you refused wasn't medicine at all, but poisonous plants that weren't deadly, but they were enough to make him sick. Then, knowing he'd get a fever, they gave you the medicine he just recently consumed. Those berries and herbs are poisonous herbs that will slowly kill him by breaking down the walls of his stomach and causing his organs to literally melt. Good thing he had just ate it… this could have gotten a whole lot worse." He explained with a heavy sigh.

"Since it's not digested, we have to take it out as soon as possible before it does. We'll have to make him throw it back up." He quickly emptied the bucket of supplies and brought it by Sasuke. He grabbed some sort of liquid and tilted the Uchiha's head back. He drained the liquid down his throat. A few seconds passed, and Naruto wondered what the liquid was, but his question was immediately answered when Sasuke suddenly threw up into the bucket, his eyes snapping open in surprise. A foul green and black mixture emptied into the yellow container, and he suddenly panted and let out a moan of discomfort.

"Good job Sasuke… it's okay... shh… calm down…" Naruto whispered, rubbing his back soothingly.

"Alright… now for the herbs that they gave him before… they've already digested and have spread throughout his body… but since they're not deadly, there's no immediate danger. We'll just have to give him some real medicine to counteract its effects and bring down that fever." He told Naruto.

He grabbed a syringe and read the label on it, making sure it was correct, before he held out the Uchiha's arm. Finding a vein, he pricked it, injecting the pale liquid into his bloodstream. Sasuke felt nothing more than a small pinch, since the pain everywhere else was so terrible.

Next, he had Sasuke swallow a pill with some bottled water, and finally, he had him swallow some kind of medicinal fluid.

"I know it seems like a lot, but those toxics are potent, so it's necessary. As this passes through his system, he'll have some trouble getting through it, because the medicine won't be of total use, but trust me, even if he's in a lot of pain with the medicine, he'd be screaming without it."

Naruto gulped. "That bad, huh?"

"Yes… they really want to kill him off, so they make it as potent as possible so you give him more of the medicine…" He sighed.

"Thanks... you saved his life…" Naruto told him, relieved his teammate would be okay.

"Yes… but his pain isn't over yet. I've seen this before, and though it's different for everybody, the most common things that pop up are vomiting, headaches, stomach cramps, s_evere_ stomach pain, frequent urination, throbbing in the back of the eyes, sensitivity to light, dizziness, confusion… hmmm… what else..? I guess in rare situations I've seen short term amnesia that lasted no more than a week…"

"Great… just bloody great…" He groaned, frustrated. "I can't believe we actually listened to them. I knew there was something fishy about them…"

Daisuke nodded. "You're not the only one who's been tricked by them. You're lucky you found me, though. I guess they haven't realized that the people they try to kill off are being saved by me, and they're sending them off in my direction." He laughed. "Anyways, he'll get over this, especially with my knowledge of this. He should be up on his feet by tomorrow."

Naruto sighed in relief. "Thank you so much, Daisuke… I owe you…"

"No need." He smiled warmly. "By the way, you were the former Nine Tailed Fox vessel before it broke loose right?" He asked.

"Yea… but we never understood why… nothing had happened…" He said sadly.

"Well… my great-grandpa was one of the first people that had the fox sealed inside of him. So, I do know the reason… you must know that the demon comes out during times of weak emotion, correct?"

Naruto simply nodded.

"Well, even if you haven't have realized it, there was a weakness in your emotions. The demon knew just the right moment, and it attacked the seal with all of its might. It must have succeeded if it managed to come out and destroy the village…" He sighed.

"Yea…" Naruto whispered. "I was just talking to Sasuke and he mentioned something sad… I don't really remember what he had said, but it was something about his family." He lowered his gaze.

"His whole family was wiped out long ago by his own brother." He nodded. "The tragedy of the Uchiha Clan. Since he's your best friend, I can imagine that being a time of your emotions being weak enough for it to take control of."

Naruto just sighed. "Well… at least I know now what happened…" he turned to look at Sasuke. "I just wish it would have been different. Now he's sick and it's my fault. If I hadn't talked to him that day, none of this would have happened." He mumbled sadly.

"You can't blame yourself, you know." He told him. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known. Anyways, it's getting pretty late. Why don't you head to bed? I'll take care of him tonight." He told Naruto as he emptied the bottled water onto a blue rag, wrung it out, and pressed it against Sasuke's forehead.

Naruto shook his head. "I'll go to bed, but I wanna stay by him. Not because I don't trust you, but just because I want to make sure he's okay."

Daisuke nodded understandingly. "Sure. I'll wheel in another bed." He smiled and left again. A few minutes later, he slid another bed through the narrow doorway, pressing it up against Sasuke's bed on the other side. He pulled up a chair and set it down on the other side of the bed.

"There you go. Goodnight." He smiled. He lit up a candle with a match, and then turned the light off. He could take care of Sasuke easily in the dark, so it wasn't a concern for him.

Naruto settled into the blankets and nodded, closing his eyes.

_I'm trusting Sasuke's life to a stranger I just met… and for we know… he could be a bigger enemy then rogue ninjas. What am I thinking, leaving my teammate's life in his hands?_ The thought didn't last long, since exhaustion immediately took over him, and sleep covered him like a thick black blanket.

**TBC~**

**Super long… I know. OMG my hands hurt… T_T And I have school tomorrow, and I'm up kinda late… lol. I hope I get lots of reviews from you guys! Sorry it was slower, but I have school and I haven't been getting a lot of reviews so I've been feeling a little discouraged.**

**Please guys… speak up! Review! Send ideas! Let me know you're still there!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	6. Whispers to the Empty Wind

**The Forgotten Ones**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian~**

**GAHHHH!**

**Stupid school! I meant to update a long time ago because of the amount of reviews I got! I'm so sorry T_T School seriously got in the way and made it really hard to get this updated. I am so so so so sorry! I promise to make this chapter entertaining to make it up to you. :) I erased the whole entire thing and completely redid it to make it good for you guys! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 6: Whispers to the Empty Wind**

The next day, Sasuke was feeling a whole lot better than before. The night was terrible for the three of them, since they each experienced it in different ways.

Daisuke did his job as the only medic around, making sure the doses of medicine were correct and frequently checking his vitals. He would go wet a small hand towel and drape it over Sasuke's feverish, pale forehead. He would run medical jutsus through the Uchiha's body until his chakra preserves ran low. Though he did little to comfort him, he would every once in awhile pat his head or rub his arm for encouragement.

Naruto's job was for comfort. Having been woken up countless times by his best friend's screaming and crying, he did more than what was necessary to calm Sasuke down. He would whisper words of reassurance to him, and stroke his black locks whenever he tensed up or moaned. He'd embrace him tightly and rub his smooth cheek when he shivered. When he broke out into cold sweat, Naruto would wipe away the small droplets and dip his hand into a bowl of cold water, letting his newly cooled fingers glide against the pale skin.

Under the ashen moon, Sasuke thrashed and whimpered in his bed, tossing and turning, until either Daisuke or Naruto stilled him. Even then, he'd feel his body go stiff and the throbbing of his headache intensify. He wondered if he had died and was sent to hell. The thought was quickly abandoned, since he felt Daisuke's hands touch him gently as he took care of his sickly body, and his best friend pulling him into tight hugs that sometimes felt relieving, and sometimes felt so uncomfortable he wanted to beg to let him pull away. It was the blonde's voice, however, that eased the agony and allowed it to melt away for the tiny gap of time afterwards. During that small time period, the headache eased, and e felt no stomach pain. He never threw up once, even if he had just gotten done vomiting the last ten minutes. Sometimes, he thought his best friend's voice was the only thing that saved him from the unbearable burning sensation coursing through every vein, spreading everywhere, even to the very ends of his fingertips. He could never sleep long, since the fever plagued him with horrible nightmares that made him never want to dream again. By the time morning came, he had barely gotten two hours of sleep.

Thankfully, by five in the morning, Sasuke's fever had gone down significantly, until finally, it broke entirely, leaving him to get some restful sleep, which he was in desperate need of. With the toxins he was tricked into consuming out of his system completely, he was finally back to being healthy again. Sasuke didn't even know, since he had fallen asleep long before his fever went away, but Daisuke wasn't about to wake him up. He had, however, waked Naruto up to tell him the news. With a very heavy sigh of relief, the blonde looked at his teammate's deeply relaxed form, before lying back down and curling up against his teammate. Both of them slept back-to-back for the rest of the morning.

It was one in the afternoon before either of them woke up. Naruto had woken up first, followed by Sasuke an hour and a half later. Daisuke prepared some food for the two, so Sasuke ate his breakfast and Naruto ate a late lunch.

When they finished, Naruto sighed in relief and began packing up the little they had. "Thank you for everything Daisuke." He smiled at the man who saved his best friend's life, maybe even his as well.

The man just waved him off. "No problem. Come back sometime, alright?" He chuckled. Sasuke and Naruto nodded to him, before turning and heading off.

"Now… let's look at our map." The blonde told Sasuke as he took it out of his pocket, unfolding it and examining it thoroughly. Thankfully, Daisuke had an extra map of the region, so he and Sasuke could see where they were going. As a joke, the man had put an 'X' over the Wind Country, northwest of the Sand Village, with 'YOU WERE HERE' written in all capital letters with a big red marker.

"Now let's see…" He whispered, looking over the map. "Looks like our best bet is to travel right under the Rain Village, until we get back into Fire Country. From there, we'll have to cut right through the middle, probably passing… that place… and then follow the land down to Tea Country. From there, we can take a boat to Nagi Island and see if we can build a home there." He smiled. "What do you say Sasuke?"

Sasuke, still walking straight, turned to him and took the map in one hand, with Naruto still holding the other side with one of his. "Looks about right, we'll have to stay right on the border though, because if we pass through Rain who knows what trouble that'll stir up…" He told Naruto with a sigh. "We're not exactly welcomed in other countries…"

"I know," Naruto nodded, "but this is the quickest and safest way to go. We need to get into Fire Country right away, since that's where the Leaf Village was, we'll be welcomed there and we can probably get better medical attention and hopefully pick up some information."

As Sasuke continued walking, he focused more on the makeshift map. He failed to realized how focused he really was, and he ended up tripping on a tree root and falling flat on his face, making Naruto break out into a fit of laughter. Sasuke huffed, annoyed at himself for doing something so stupid, and stood up, dusting himself off and regaining his posture.

"Stupid tree." He growled, shooting his teammate a death glare as he continued to snicker at his clumsiness.

Sasuke once again began walking and looked back down on the map, trying to figure out which way they were going.

"Hey Sasuke, don't concentrate too hard or else-"

"Shut up." Sasuke hissed, interrupting Naruto's sentence. The blonde just chuckled, watching the Uchiha throw the map back at him.

"Then you tell me where we're going."

"I do know where we're going. We're heading up to a bridge pretty soon. We need to pass it quickly though. Daisuke told me it was going to start raining pretty quickly, and by the looks of it, it'll be any minute now. The bridge gets really dangerous when it's raining, since it's just a giant log with moss growing over it." Naruto told him.

Sasuke looked up as he felt a raindrop. "We better hurry." He and Naruto both broke out into a run

It was about ten minutes later when the rain went from a tiny sprinkle to a normal pour. It wasn't heavy, but it was enough to soak them and make them run faster.

Once the bridge got into view, Naruto gasped and immediately stopped in his tracks, Sasuke following his actions. They walked up carefully and realized that the log that had been used for a bridge sat about 500 feet above a raging river. Sasuke and Naruto could clearly see the large rocks where water hit and sprayed into the air. It sent shivers down Naruto's spine.

"Do we cross?" Naruto asked. "I mean… this is the border to cross to get to Rain Village…" He lifted his foot and found it difficult since the mud had started to cover his ankle as his bodyweight made him sink deeper into it. "Gross…" he muttered.

Sasuke took a step closer, but gasped as his back foot got caught in the mud. He gasped as he fell forward face first. He suddenly felt a hand grab his wrist tightly and hold him in place. Only one foot was still on the ground, sunk deep into the mud. The rest of his body hung dangerously over the cliff.

"Naruto…" his voice was wavering and fear was laced in it.

"I've got you… don't move." He whispered. He pulled him up, and he fell backwards into the mud, panting heavily and trying to regain himself. His eyes were wide and his whole body trembled as the adrenaline rushed through him.

"So… so close to death. I… I was inches away…" He tried to regain himself, but he was terribly shaken by the experience.

"Sasuke… it's okay." Naruto patted his back. "I've got you… now let's go." He helped him to his feet. The hesitance to move didn't go unnoticed by the blonde. He began to walk once again towards the log.

He took a couple more steps, when he felt his feet once again sink into mud. He gasped and immediately panicked, but then calmed when he realized he was fine. Naruto just nodded to him, and he lifted his foot to take another step. As he took one more step, the ground suddenly slid from underneath him.

Once again, he let out a terrified scream as he began plummeting, not even two minutes after the first time. This time, Naruto wasn't there in time to grab him. His back to the ground, he couldn't even tell when he'd crash into the raging waters below. He knew they'd swallow him up, suck out his oxygen, and he'd probably drown.

'_I can't believe it… this is really how it ends…_ he thought sadly. _Naruto… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…'_ He closed his eyes, and suddenly felt a violent jerk. His eyes squeezed shut tighter, but he found that he wasn't submerged underwater, freezing in the icy waters at all, but merely dangling, something firm and warm clasping his small wrist. He opened his eyes to find a hundred Naruto clones, each grabbing onto their feet in a long line all the way from the top. He was only about halfway down from the massive cliff, and he shivered at the thought of falling that much longer.

The real Naruto was the one grabbing Sasuke's hand, and the Uchiha could clearly see his struggle. His hand was shaking from the amount of pressure he was putting on it. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was gritting his teeth. Sasuke bit his lip.

"Naruto…" He whispered quietly.

"H-hold on Sasuke…" There was clearly struggle in his voice. "I… I got you…"

Sasuke suddenly felt his hand slip a little, and there was nothing but fingers holding fingers. "Sasuke..!" Naruto gasped.

Sasuke squeezed as tight as he could, knowing his life was on the line, but the attempt was futile. His hand slipped and he found himself once again plunging farther and farther down. He screamed in terror, his hands reaching up desperately for his teammate. "Naruto!" He cried desperately, tears slipping from his eyes, drifting down slowly after his body.

Naruto was horrified that he hadn't been able to keep a grip on him. "Sasuke!" He yelled back, immediately focusing chakra into his feet. He began running down the edge of the cliff vertically as fast as he could, not caring at the moment how much extra chakra he was putting into it and wasting it. He was a lot slower than running on foot, and he knew he wouldn't be able to reach him in time. His teammate's screams grew more and more distant he fell farther and farther, until there was a huge splash, and his body was lost in the raging waters below.

Sasuke felt the air get sucked out of him as he hit the water unexpectedly. He gasped for air, but only water was sucked in. He clawed at his throat and squeezed his eyes shut as his lungs filled up, and he knew he was drowning quickly. His consciousness began to fade, but he held to it, desperate that his blonde teammate would rescue him before it was too late. He could only pray.

_~Three minutes later~_

Naruto had finally reached the bottom, and began running on the rugged terrain beside the river. By how fast the current was, he knew Sasuke had went a long way downstream, but what he wasn't sure of was if he had gotten out on his own, or if he was still under the water.

_Dead…_ he thought, horrified at the thought. He continued running downstream, looking for any signs of his teammate, dead or alive. He lost track of time. Seconds felt like hours to him, and minutes felt like days. Finally, he found what he was looking for.

"Sasuke!" He swore his heart missed a beat. He quickly ran over to the small heap he knew was his teammate. He was lying motionless, everything from his chest and up out of the water, while the rest of his water was still submerged underneath it. Naruto could see ice chunks floating in it, and he froze at the thought. How long had Sasuke been lying there? If his legs were under too long, he could lose them. He didn't hesitate to grab the Uchiha from his underarms and pull him up out of the water.

'_He… he's soaked! And freezing!'_ Naruto realized, shock clearly plastered on his face. Adrenaline began dispersing throughout his entire body. He lifted him into his arms and pulled him as tight against his chest and he could, feeling the boy shiver uncontrollably.

"Oh my god… oh my god…" Naruto whispered over and over. "What have I done? "He gasped. He used his jacket and draped it over his teammate's limp body, hoping to warm him up, and shield him from the rain. As if the Gods wanted to kill Sasuke, the rain went from normal, to a heavy downpour. Luckily, there was a cavern in the cliff, only a few feet from the ground. He knew he shouldn't trust the cliff's edges, but he had no choice. It was either risk it, or surely lose Sasuke.

He lied the boy down on the ground, using his weapon pouch as a pillow and then slid the Uchiha's shirt over his head, replacing it with his jacket, warmed by his body heat. Growling at his lack of supplies to take care of him, he rubbed Sasuke's arms quickly to try to warm his freezing body back up.

What terrified him was how still and lifeless his body seemed. He hadn't moved an inch, and Naruto feared he wasn't going to live. If it wasn't for the weak pulse and his shallow, barely noticeable breaths, he would assume he was dead.

"Oh my god… Sasuke… Oh my god…"

He lied down next to his dying best friend, not caring about the icy cold wet hair pressed against his chest, and snuggled up to him the best he could as an attempt to share body heat. Despite the chill of the storm, the blonde managed to keep him at least a little warm. Slowly but surely, the small, frail, fading boy began to finally regain a healthy body temperature. Unsure if he would survive the night, Naruto fell into the most uneasy sleep he'd had since the village was destroyed.

_~The next morning~_

Naruto was surprised when he woke up to more rain, only this time, it was accompanied by loud thunder and streaks of electricity in the sky. He immediately checked Sasuke, and was surprised to find that the frail Uchiha had survived the night. He still hadn't moved once since Naruto found him, and the thought of paralysis hung heavy in his mind. What if his friend was paralyzed? Not only was he blind in one eye, but also immobile? He wondered if Sasuke would be able to accept life that way. He feared his best friend possibly killing himself.

This was why Naruto sighed in relief when his best friend finally opened his eyes.

"Sasuke!" He gasped in relief, turning to look at him. The Uchiha looked entirely confused, as he looked around with heavily lidded eyes. His face was a clear mixture of fear and confusion.

"Sasuke?" Naruto whispered again, a little unsurely. Onyx eyes turned to look at him.

"W-who… who are you?"

**~To be continued~  
>Ahh! A cliffhanger! These next few chapters are Rosebunse and I's combined ideas. (She came up with it, and we both improvised it) So thank her for this! And once again, I'm so sorry for the late update! School was being mean to me! T_T Anyways, hopefully I won't keep you waiting on this cliffy. Lol!<strong>

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**Until next time~**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian **


	7. Through the Truths and Lies

**The Forgotten Ones**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian~**

**Chapter 7: Through the Truths and Lies**

Naruto felt his blood instantly turn to ice. The word echoed in his ears, ringing like a bell.

"S-Sasuke…" He couldn't stop the words from stumbling out of his mouth, stuttering as they did so. How was it possible that his teammate didn't remember him? After all that they had been through, did he really not remember a thing?

"_Who are you?"_ Sasuke pressed, though his voice was hoarse and weak. It no longer held its lively tone, but a dull, sick sound that made him seem like a different person. The voice was much too soft to be an Uchiha's.

"It's me… Sasuke… don't you remember?" Naruto found it hard to speak at this point. It didn't seem possible, after all that they had done together, for his best friend to not remember him.

"I… I don't know…" He murmured quietly, beginning to tremble. "I… I don't remember anything…" He could his entire body trembling violently, and his entire body covered head to toe in goose bumps. He tried to stand but let out a surprised gasp when he couldn't move his legs. "What's wrong with me?" He yelled in fright.

"Shh… shh…" Naruto soothed, "please calm down Sasuke." He whispered quietly, putting his hand gently on his back.

A sudden flash of lightning sliced through the rain clouds, a deafening roar of thunder following and making Sasuke yelp and duck his head in fright. His body began shaking even worse and he had to suppress frightened tears. "What's going on?" He cried weakly, "Who are you? Why can't I remember anything?"

Naruto held him close to his chest and shushed him quietly. "Shh… it's alright, it's alright. Calm down now… I'll explain everything." He rubbed soothing circles into his back and felt the boy slightly relax, but he guessed it was out of exhaustion more of trust. He took in one shaky breath before speaking.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. You're name is Sasuke Uchiha. We've been best friends since we were young. We lived together in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, until it was destroyed by a demon. We were the only survivors, so since then, we've been wandering around until we find a home. You fell into a river last night and the current was too fast for me to reach you. You were sucked away before I could rescue you. I continued to run until I found you washed up on shore. The water was so cold there was ice chunks floating around in it, and you're lower body was still in the water when I found you. There was a small cave I found in the cliff side, which is where we are now. We stayed the night in here… where you and I both woke up this morning. Apparently you have memory loss." He finished with a sad sigh.

"Really?" He whispered quietly, feeling as if what the boy had told him seemed more like a story out of a fiction book than reality. His heart sunk when he saw the blonde haired boy dip his head as a nod.

"Sasuke… I'll get your memory back for you soon… I promise you. It… it must be terrible to not remember anything…" Naruto told him, looking down at the ground. Sasuke just turned away from him, but couldn't suppress his startled jump when more thunder crackled in the air.

"It… it sounds like… hooves… drumming on the earth…" He whispered, his voice quivering.

"I don't know much about amnesia…" he admitted quietly, "but you do remember what thunder and lightning and storms are right?" He asked.

Sasuke gave him a small nod. "It's scary… a sudden loud noise emitting from the sky, it's sound echoing throughout the entire sky behind dark gray clouds…"

"Yea…" Naruto agreed, "but once you get used to it, they're almost… relaxing?" He laughed a little bit at his last statement.

Sasuke smiled softly, something Naruto hadn't seen in a long time. "You know… I may not remember you… but for some reason, I feel I can trust you…" He breathed.

"You can!" Naruto chimed. "I'm your best friend…" He pulled him close and sighed.

"I'm sorry for doubting you…" He murmured, looking down at the ground. "I'm just confused…"

Naruto shook his head. "You have no reason to blame yourself… I would be too." He patted his shoulder and stood up. "You know, since you're still recovering, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some rest…"

Sasuke just sighed and laid down right where he was. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't move anyway. His legs were completely shot. Naruto eyed him with a worried look plastered onto his face.

"We'll have to get your legs looked at as soon as possible…" He told him as he lied down next to him and curled up into a small ball.

Sasuke just nodded to him. "Naruto …right? Do you think we'll find somebody to fix my legs?" He asked.

"I'm sure we will." He smiled. "Now sleep, Sasuke. You need it."

They both didn't last another three minutes awake.

_~Naruto's Dream~_

Trapped. Alone in an isolated world, with nothing but the rippling water underneath his feet, the beige tainted light emitting from the nothingness, and the massive metal bars serving as a jail. The only thing visible behind them were two massive piercing red eyes, their gaze locked onto Naruto's own. The eyes narrowed, and then a long orange pelted foreleg stepped into the light. A snout emerged, and as the second leg became visible, so did the rest of the face, along with nine lashing tails.

"What an unpleasant surprise." Naruto growled to the massive fox towering over him. He was no longer afraid of the beast, since he knew it was only some chakra the demon had left inside of him for communication.

"**Hmm… kit. Had I been born with a heart, I may have felt something in that empty space. What is that emotion called? Sadness, I believe? It troubles me that you do not tremble in my presence anymore."** The demon joked, it's wicked smile breaking in two as it erupted into a roar of laughter.

"You're not the Nine Tailed Fox. You're nothing but a blob of chakra that stupid thing left in my body in its form. I'm not afraid of you." Naruto narrowed his eyes and glared at it.

The fox had a mildly amused look on its face as it gave a knowing smirk. **"Now really boy? No fear at all?"** Red bubbling chakra began seeping through the cracks of the bars, surrounding Naruto and traveling up his body, immobilizing him in a squeeze that only constricted when he tried to squirm free. He felt himself choking and struggling to breathe in the musty air.

"**You still brave now, kit? You still want to play the stupid hero?"** It chuckled as Naruto began gasping for breath, letting the chakra fade away into the air, making him fall to the floor and breath heavily.

"What do you want?" Naruto growled at him.

"**Oh nothing much. I just want to toy with you."** It smiled and swayed nine tails back and forth to show its interest in the blonde.

"Get lost. You can't get to me inside of that cage of yours." He tapped the seal with his thumb.

The fox broke out into a fit of laughter, as if it had heard a really funny joke.

"**You forget, kit. I'm not the actual fox. I'm simply chakra. I'm sure you know this already."** It's form suddenly melted into a pool of chakra that poured outside of the cage and formed back into the fox outside of the bars. **"Chakra can get through easily."**

Naruto took a step back, frozen in fear as the demon loomed over him, it's snout right in front of his face.

"**Run, kit."** It warned. Naruto didn't hesitate for a second before sprinting across the room, running into more nothingness. Behind him, he could hear the echoes of the laughter erupting from the demon's throat. Chakra suddenly shot in front of him and created a wall. Skidding to a stop, he began running in a different direction, not even knowing where he was going at this point.

"**Keep running, kit. I love a game of cat and mouse."** The fox chuckled quietly, lowering into a hunter's crouch, it's keen eyesight able to detect every movement of the blonde's in the darkness.

It suddenly leapt at him, jumping in front of him and roaring at the blonde. He gasped and turned to run, but the fox used its teeth to grab the back of his jumpsuit and lift him into the air.

"**Thanks for the game. Now I'll eat you."** It chuckled between parted teeth. It threw him up into the air, where Naruto flipped around to look below him. All he saw were two rows of yellow, razor teeth on each side of him. Teeth enclosed on him and all he saw was darkness.

_~Reality~_

Naruto awoke with a start, gasping in large breaths and trying his absolute best to calm himself. Sweat beads clung to him as he wiped them away with his clothed arm.

'It was just a dream…' he thought, still panting from the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He sat up and turned to look at his teammate, relieved to see him still asleep next to him, his body curled up against his own. His eyelids fluttered, but he remained in a deep sleep. Outside, Naruto noticed that the rain had stopped, and was replaced by bright sun and a cloudless sky.

'Took long enough…' he stretched his arms and lied down next to his teammate, waiting for him to wake up. The nightmare lingered in his mind, making him unconsciously shiver. As he gazed over his teammate's chest, rising and falling steadily as he took in even breaths, he began to wonder if Sasuke's memory would ever return.

He pressed his back against his teammate's and watched the skies through the opening of the cave, waiting patiently for his teammate to wake up so they could set off to find a cure for his amnesia.

**~TBC**

**Omg that was the**

**WORST. ENDING. EVER!**

**I am so terribly sorry about that! Not only the ending, but the chapter was terrible! I needed sort of a "filler chapter" before the cool stuff gets going, so I'm really sorry about that.**

**Anyways, I hope you still enjoyed. Please review as always :)**

**Until next time~**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian~**


	8. The Darkest Dreams

**The Forgotten Ones**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian~**

**Chapter 8: The Darkest Dreams**

"Open your eyes… open your eyes…" Naruto mumbled impatiently, tapping his finger on a small pebble beside Sasuke's head. He was lying on his stomach, his head propped up by his elbows that dug into the soft dirt underneath them. His tanned face was illuminated by the bright sun filtering light through the cave's small entrance. He twirled a strand of onyx hair around his finger mindlessly, watching it reach its end and fall back down to its original position. Naruto sighed and stroked through his hair, following the natural way the boy's hair grew out.

He wanted nothing more than to wake the boy from his deep slumber and get out of the unadorned cavern they were in, but he knew not to touch him. He needed as much rest as he could get, so he'd have a better chance of not only getting rid of the amnesia, but to cure his paralysis. He normally would have just carried him, but the way Sasuke was now, he knew the Uchiha would wake up the minute Naruto lifted him off of the ground. Playing with his hair wouldn't wake him up, but Sasuke was still a light sleeper, and he knew that he would wake up if he was touched and moved around too much.

"Ngh…" His upper body turned a little, but then returned to its normal position after a failed attempt. Naruto figured he was trying to shift onto his side in his sleep, but the paralysis wouldn't allow his legs to move. Naruto felt sympathetic as he began to try again, this time his face twisting into a grimace from his futile efforts. The blonde sighed and stood up, walking over to his teammate's side without a sound. He gently helped him turn over with little strain, watching as the Uchiha's face relaxed once again into its peaceful expression. Naruto smiled softly at how at ease the boy looked, and he sat right where he was, so he and Sasuke were facing each other. He sat cross-legged and rested his elbows on his knees, resting his chin in the palms of his hands and watching his best friend sleep again.

Fifteen long minutes passed for Naruto, before he finally saw Sasuke's eyelids flutter a little. He put a cupped hand over his teammate's cheek to help ease him out of his sleep. Onyx eyes flickered open a few seconds later, locking onto with Naruto's bright blue orbs. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes again, his fingers twitching slightly he began to gain his senses back.

"Good morning, Sasuke. Sleep well?" He asked with a small smile, earning a small nod for a reply.

"Everything's all packed up, so I'm gonna carry you, alright?" He smiled softly, sliding his arms underneath the boy. He made no protests as he was lifted into the blonde's arms, his cheek pressed against the orange jumpsuit. He turned his head to look outside, but was blinded by the strong rays of sunlight. He turned his head back into Naruto's chest and kept his eyes open, focusing on his thoughts more than his vision. He felt his body bobbing a little, and he realized that Naruto was walking outside, as sudden warmth struck his body and relaxed him deeply.

As Naruto continued walking, he found himself growing more and more tired. His eyelids were beginning to droop, and though he didn't notice, Naruto did. The blonde smiled softly and brushed a hand through his hair, and it took all of his willpower not to close his eyes and allow the gentle, calming motion to take him into the abyss of dreams.

"Sleepy Sasuke?" Naruto giggled quietly, twirling a strand of his air with his finger for the second time that morning.

"Shut up…" The Sharingan user moaned, already feeling as if he was in a dream. Naruto's warm hand rubbed his cheek, and his eyes fluttered closed, only to jolt open in a split second.

"Go to sleep, Sasuke." Naruto murmured, stroking his cheek up and down, his fingernails barely grazing the skin, creating a deep serenity within Sasuke's mind. It quieted all of his thoughts until the only thing in his mind was how good he was feeling and how sleepy he really was. Every time he blinked, his eyelids would open a little less every time, until they were almost fully closed, when he zapped himself out of his trance for a second time.

Naruto just continued walking, while rubbing circles into his back and continuing to stroke his cheek. He could see goose bumps traveling up his arms. He heard him give a small whine like noise, so he shushed him and continued to talk in a soothing voice. "Shh… shh Sasuke… go to sleep… go to sleep…" In a way, he thought it was somewhat fun, hypnotizing him to sleep the way he was. He could see the drowsiness in his teammate's eyes as he spoke. He wasn't sure if it was the way he was talking or if it was the gentle stroking of his cheek and back that was lulling Sasuke to sleep. He watched the onyx eyes disappear under his eyelids, and he thought he was finally asleep, until they opened a second later again. He blinked heavily and slowly, his eyes only opening halfway. He shuffled a little in Naruto's arms, and blinked one final time. After the lids touched, his eyes fluttered slightly as if wanting to open again, but went still as he finally gave into his drowsiness. His lips parted as he took in deep, evened breaths and he nuzzled into Naruto's warm jacket.

Naruto smiled as his teammate finally fell into dreams. "Took his time." He whispered as he continued walking.

_~Timeskip~_

Sasuke awoke to warm hands pressing against his chest, pulling his shirt over his head. With a gasp of surprise, his eyes shot open and he lashed out on instinct. His fist connected with Naruto's stomach, who fell a few feet back with a small grunt of pain.

"Dang it Sasuke… that hurt…" he groaned, rubbing his sore stomach tenderly. "Huh?" He looked up to see the boy trembling and holding each of his shoulders with the opposite hand, his arms crossed against his chest in a defensive position.

"Sasuke?" He whispered unsurely, standing up. He suddenly realized what had triggered the Uchiha's fear. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to frighten you…" Naruto whispered, taking a few small steps towards him. "I just followed the river and it wound up splitting into multiple different branches. I followed one and ended up in this small little pond, so I figured I'd give you a bath with the soap and shampoo that Daisuke gave me." He dug through his pockets and pulled the small tube of shampoo out to prove himself.

Sasuke seemed to relax at the statement. "Sorry…" he sighed quietly. "I just didn't know what was going on…" Naruto nodded, fully understanding and guessing he'd do the same thing if it was him.

Sasuke pulled his pants and his boxers down and with Naruto's help, eased into the water, where he sat down on the smooth rocks, taking the soap bar from the blonde and washing his upper body. Naruto sat behind him, watching him closely to make sure he didn't need help. He watched him rub the soap on his arms and rub it into his skin. Once he got his arms and chest, Naruto took over. After rolling up his pants and sliding his shoes off, he stepped into the water and began lathering Sasuke's stomach with the slippery substance. He washed downwards, seeing Sasuke lean back a little as he let him take over. The faint red tint on his cheeks didn't go unnoticed by the blonde.

"Umm… Sasuke?" He whispered unsurely, wondering if the Uchiha was comfortable with him washing in his more sensitive areas. The Uchiha just looked at him, and turned away after a second. "Sasuke… do I..?"

Sasuke offered a small shrug, turning his face away from him. "I don't care…" He whispered, a faint red tinting his cheeks. Naruto's face also turned a bright scarlet shade. He simply nodded, quickly swiping over his private areas and moving towards his thighs, which thought they were still sensitive, it wasn't nearly as awkward when washing.

Sasuke mumbled something so low that Naruto couldn't even catch what he had said.

"What was that, Sasuke?" He asked, lifting his hands out of the water and shaking them so they'd dry.

"T..ks…"

"I still can't here you… you're gonna have to talk louder."

"Thanks!" He burst out, his blush deepening as he said it.

Naruto was in shock for a moment, before chuckling softly and patting his shoulder. "No problem, Sasuke." He stepped out of the water and sat behind Sasuke on the edge of the pond, spreading his legs apart so there was one on each side of Sasuke. He squirted some pallid shampoo into the palm of his hand, rubbing it around so it coated his hand in a thick layer. He began working his hands through the Uchiha's thick hair strands, scrubbing the scalp and watching the liquid turn into a foamy soap. Sasuke leaned back farther and closed his eyes, feeling as if he was almost getting a massage on his head.

Naruto just smiled at his teammate's acceptance to him touching him, continuing to scrub and pull small locks of hair towards him, thoroughly cleaning it with the shampoo. After cleansing his hair, he helped Sasuke lean back under water and once again scrubbed through his hair, watching the foam turn into liquid again, which dispersed everywhere as the weak current of the river carried it farther down.

Once the shampoo was out of his hair, he lifted Sasuke into his arms, watching the water drip off of his naked skin back into the pond.

"I'll give you my clothes for now so you can dry off." He smiled. He helped the Uchiha pull his boxers on, and then he slipped off his orange jacket and pants. He slipped the pants on Sasuke, but just had him lay on the jacket so he'd warm up faster with the blazing sun beating down on him.

Naruto then began washing himself in the river, but unlike Sasuke, he left his boxers on. After washing for only ten minutes, he stood up and walked over to his teammate, who by now was almost dry from the sun's heat. He flopped beside him and lied there unmoving in the grass, waiting for the sun to evaporate the water off of his body was well.

He turned to Sasuke and was about to talk to him when he realized that the boy had fallen asleep. With a small smile, Naruto cuddled into him, closing his eyes as well. He wasn't awake when the Uchiha's whimpering and crying started.

_~Sasuke's Dream~_

It was eerily soundless. It was blindingly colorless. The smell that hung in the air was stale and rotten, and could be tasted on the tongue. Unable to see, he reached his fingers out to grab something, _anything,_ but there was nothing there. Nothingness. He was surrounded by it.

'_Where am I?'_ He thought, glancing around swiftly, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. He heard a swishing sound that sounded close, but it only lasted a second, before quieting once again. Sasuke growled and immediately deepened his stance into an offensive position. He reached into his kunai holster, grabbing his only knife, and holding it in front of him.

"Who's there?" He demanded, gritting his teeth and trying to conceal his anxiety. A deep chuckle sudden echoed, its unrecognizable tone rumbling in the empty walls of his mind.

"Don't come any closer!" He shouted, his own body shaking in fear. "I won't… I won't hesitate to kill you!"

"Oh really?" He didn't even see a flash before his eyes as the kunai was knocked from his hand, abandoned a few feet away from him. He gasped and switched into a defensive position, his hand crossed in an X shape defensively across his chest.

"Sasuke." The voice spat out his name maliciously.

"Who are you?" He screamed desperately, "Tell me!"

"Sasuke." The voice said again, except this time, it was a different voice, one he knew, but in his terror filled mind, he couldn't match it to a name.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke's eyes shot open, wide with fear. The quickly shut them with a groan as the sun's rays immediately blinded the one that could see.

"Are you awake?" He blinked open his eyes much slower this time, and his gaze met Naruto's. The blonde had a worried look plastered onto his face as he leaned over the Uchiha's body.

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. After a moment, he gave up and just sighed, forcing his trembling body to relax against the warm jacket he was lying on. Naruto released the breath that he was holding.

"Oh good… I was beginning to get nervous." He chuckled sadly, laying back down beside him and pressing up against his arm.

Sasuke wiped the sweat from his brow, staring up at the sky with wonder.

'_What did I do? How did he know?'_ He wondered, a little embarrassed about it.

Naruto seemed to have sensed his fear, and whispered, "You know… everyone has nightmares. Don't worry about it."

Sasuke nodded, closing his eyes again. _'So scary...'_

He didn't think he'd be able to fall asleep again so quickly after the nightmare, that he soon found out was just the beginning.

_~Sasuke's Dream~_

When Sasuke opened his eyes, he found himself sitting in the middle of a dark, nearly pitch black forest. He whipped his head back and forth, trying to see where he was, but he couldn't see anything but trees. Dark trees that loomed over him, trapping him in the small clearing he was standing him.

He tried to stand, but he couldn't move his legs.

'_I can't move my legs!'_ He thought, a gasp escaping him. He looked around swiftly once again, trying to find the one person he knew.

"Naruto!" He called, his voice sounded louder than normal. "Naruto!"

Silence answered him. He sighed and tried to recall his previous actions, but found that they were lost in the empty void in his mind. He was completely confused. He remembered nothing but the fact that he was alone, wandering without a home, and without his teammate.

Suddenly, he heard whispers from somewhere in front of him. They were too low to make out the words or what gender the person was.

"Naruto?" He gasped hopefully. Whoever it was stopped abruptly, the voice immediately cut off. "Naruto!"

He heard rustling in the bushes, and he could tell from the person's chakra that whoever it was, they were extremely dangerous. The chakra radiating off of them was at hazardous levels, proving to the Uchiha that it was definitely not his teammate.

He once again tried to stand, but his legs failed him. With a small cry, he weakly tried to crawl away. He used his elbows to pull his body as fast as he could, but the effort was futile. The chakra was suddenly close, and before he could turn his head, the person was standing above him. He turned his body and stared up at the person, who he recognized was a young man. The male was nothing more than a shadow. His entire body was just an unmoving silhouette. The man's eyes suddenly opened, which made Sasuke gasp when he looked into them. They were piercing scarlet, with an unfamiliar black shape that almost resembled a demon wind shuriken with only three points within it.

Sasuke immediately began trembling in the man's presence. The eyes had him frozen in fear, and as much as he wanted to turn away from them, he found his body failing him. The man didn't even blink, but just stared down at him. Sasuke felt an unusual feeling in his eyes, and suddenly, his vision changed. He no longer saw the man's silhouette, but his chakra coursing through his body. He still couldn't see his face, however.

The shadow of a hand reached behind him, and pulled out a mirror, which he held to Sasuke's face. He gasped in fear as he saw his own eyes were the same scarlet red. Instead of having the three pointed shuriken, however, he had three commas.

He shrieked at the top of his lungs.

_~Reality~_

Sasuke woke up screaming. Tears immediately burst from his eyes, streaming freely down his cheeks. A loud sob escaped him, and he bit his quivering lip until it bled to keep the screams from exploding out. His entire body was trembling violently and his fists were clenched together so tightly the knuckles were almost bleeding.

He felt hands on his cheeks, and a thumb rubbing the bones gently, wiping the salty tears away. He opened his onyx eyes, but through the tears, the only thing he could see was a blur. He whimpered quietly and squeezed them shut, more trickling out, which were also smeared away by the warm finger.

"Shh… Sasuke… it's alright…" He heard a voice whisper in his ear. He could feel the hot breath pounding against his skin.

He gave another sharp cry as the flood of memories returned to him. More tears escaped him and he felt a weight against his chest as he was pulled into a tight embrace.

"_Shh… shh…"_ Sasuke was shushed once again by the voice, and it was only then that he'd even realized that he was panting. A palm was now rubbing his back in a soothing motion. He felt his body relax slightly, but stiffen again when the man's piercing red eyes flashed in his mind. He screamed once again and flinched away from the touch on instinct.

Naruto was taken aback by the movement, but he figured that Sasuke was still scared from his nightmare. He was still in hysterics, and he wondered if the Uchiha even knew that he was out of the dream.

"Sasuke… shh…" He hushed him, trying his very best to calm him down.

Sasuke just let another shrill cry, and Naruto wondered if he was screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Sasuke it's okay! You're awake now!" He yelled, hoping he could hear him through his shrieking.

The Uchiha finally began calming down, whimpering as the memories of his dream haunted his thoughts.

"Naruto…" He sobbed brokenly, clutching to him desperately as the blonde embraced him even tighter.

"Shh… shh… it's okay Sasuke… hush… go to sleep… go to sleep…"

"The dreams..!" He choked out, more tears leaking from his eyes. Naruto wiped them away again, giving him a sad smile.

"I'll protect you from them Sasuke… I promise you… I'll be here to scare them away… please… just go to sleep…" He whispered as more sobs wracked his body. Naruto could see the growing exhaustion in him.

"Shh… Sasuke… Shh…"

They sat there for twenty minutes, Sasuke crying in Naruto's hold, while he shushed him whenever he gave the smallest noise.

Finally, Sasuke's exhausted, weak body couldn't take it anymore, and the sobs died down until they became occasional hiccups. Confused, Naruto glanced down at his teammate.

Though he knew shushing Sasuke and comforting him so much would calm him down, but he had no idea that he could help his teammate until he was down into complete relaxation.

Sasuke had cried himself to sleep.

**~TBC~  
>Yup yup. That was a horrible ending, I know.<strong>

**Anyways, thanks to Rosebunse for this chapter idea! She came up with 80% of this chapter :)**

**Longest chapter yet! :D**

**Please review, as always. I love to hear them! :D**

**Until next time~**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	9. Broken Blades Still Cut

**The Forgotten Ones**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian~**

**Sorry for the long wait… school + constant sickness = no updates :( Plus, my mom has been really busy lately… and she's been using the laptop a lot more than usual. My apologies… I really need to get my own laptop fixed (whenever I come up with the 100 dollars to do so) Anyways, on with chapter 9!**

**Chapter 9: Broken Blades Still Cut**

"Naruto… I don't think we're going the right away…"

"Of course we are! This has to be the way to the Land of Fire!"

"It's not."

"It is!"

"It's NOT!"

"It IS!"

"Then how do you explain that?" Sasuke pointed his finger up to a large rock that towards over them a few feet away. It was perfectly cut like a piece of meat on one side, but naturally shaped everywhere else.

"It's a rock… what about it?" He asked, dumbfounded by Sasuke's question.

"You idiot… look at what it says." He growled, prodding the blonde roughly in the side.

Naruto squinted to try to focus on the rock more and block out the blinding sunlight. Though it was hard to see, he could still make out something carved into the boulder. He glanced at Sasuke, who shrugged, and walked over to it casually. The blonde's mouth fell open as he could now clearly see what had been engraved into the rock.

"W-we're in... Sound?" He whispered in disbelief. The words "Welcome to the Hidden Sound Village" were carved into it with great finesse.

Sasuke stared at the sight in confusion, unconsciously rubbing the side of his neck, where a black tattoo like mark clashed horribly against his pale skin. "Is it such a big deal? Can't we just pass through here?"

'_Dang it… why does this place sound so familiar?'_

Naruto shook his head, "I hope not. But we better pass through quickly in case _he's_ here…"

'_WHO?' _Sasuke's mind was screaming.

With a simple nod, he followed Naruto's path around the rock, hoping to get out of the place quickly. He had visions flashing in his mind of himself, but he didn't understand what they were. He was in a forest with another girl, and vivid scenes were playing like a movie in his mind.

'_My name is Orochimaru, but as for what I want…'_

_The man, if he could even be called that, had extended his neck inhumanely, launching it forward straight as Sasuke. If it wasn't for the jutsu holding him still, he could have easily dodged, but no matter how much he struggled, all of his attempts were futile._

_Fangs clamped down onto the side of his neck, and he could feel the sharp teeth sinking deeply into his skin. He grunted and trembled, but he couldn't do much more, since moving could have turned fatal to him if the fangs ripped through his neck._

_White, hot searing agony tore through the layers of skin, radiating throughout his entire body. It was more than enough to cripple him, sending him to his knees almost immediately. He legs seemed to have failed him long before he had even fallen. He was grasping his neck tightly, his nails digging into the skin, leaving small marks, but he didn't even feel his own hand against his burning neck. He was crying out, slamming his head against the ground and scrunching his stomach up as his back arched into the air._

_He heard a young girl scream at the man, her fear well hidden within the tone. He let out another small cry._

'…_Sasuke will seek me out…'_

_He forced his head up to look at the man, but his vision was too blurry to anything. Suddenly, the pain tripled, and he screamed at the top of his lungs, which echoed off of the trees and throughout the entire forest._

'_SASUKE!' He once again heard the girl's panicked voice, and he felt her hands around him. He assumed the man had left since she hadn't moved before, but he couldn't be sure. She was speaking to him, her voice high in terror, but he couldn't make out the words. Her hands began lifting him from the ground, and his body began tightening, trying to curl even tighter, which only made her lift him up higher. He could barely feel his hand over hers as he used it to help sit up. Every inch of his body felt significantly worse when he shifted upwards._

_The agony suddenly became overwhelming. He couldn't restrain the scream that erupted from his mouth as he struggled to overcome the pain._

'_Hang on… you're gonna be okay…' His body suddenly shut down on him, and he fell to the side, where he felt himself collapse into something warm._

_The last thing he heard was the female's alarmed 'Sasuke!' before everything went black._

"Sasuke? Are you okay? Hey! Sasuke!" It took a rough jab in the side to snap Sasuke out of his thoughts. The Uchiha's eyes widened considerably, looking back and forth wildly before turning back to Naruto, utter confusion plastered on his face.

"H-huh?" He gasped at him, trying to hide the fact that he had just zoned out.

"Took your time." He growled, "Are you feeling alright, Sasuke?" He asked, putting a hand to his forehead. Sasuke scowled at him with his visible eye and pushed his hand away.

"I'm fine… I was just thinking." He grumbled, huffing unhappily. Why was he having these dreams? These strange, realistic images that played through his mind confused him to no end. Were these his lost memories?

"Sasuke… hey Sasuke! Don't get lost in your mind again. Hey Sasuke! Sasuke? Ugh not again…" Naruto sighed and put a hand in front of Sasuke to stop him from walking. The obstacle in his path had once again forced his mind back to reality. He once again turned to Naruto, his mouth gaping a little at him.

Naruto suddenly looked sympathetic, "Maybe we better sit down…" He whispered, putting an arm around him and guiding the Uchiha to a near bye rock. It was the perfect size for them to both fit on, and the top was flat so they could both have some room.

It took some gentle coaxing, but Naruto had finally gotten Sasuke to talk about what was on his mind, though he was a little averse about it at first.

"Sounds like you might be getting your memory back… but they need a push to be able to return…" He sighed sadly. "I'm sorry you have to go through this… it must be hard. I wish it was me instead of you…"

Sasuke just nodded, staring down blankly at the ground and kicking his feet uselessly against the air, which was stale on his tongue.

Naruto's gaze softened, and without hesitation, he pulled the boy into a tight embrace.

He saw his best friend's body began trembling against him, heard his soft hiccups in his ear, and felt something warm and wet soak through his jacket, wetting his shoulders with what he knew were tears.

_~Timeskip~_

Nightfall had come rather quickly for the two. They had ended up walking deeper into the Sound Village as they followed a riverside so they wouldn't get lost. Settling underneath a tree, Sasuke had fallen asleep immediately. Naruto wasn't quite ready to go to bed, so he leaned up against the trunk, stroking the side of Sasuke's face that was facing upwards. Since he was lying on his side, Naruto couldn't do much more than stroke his right side of his face.

"Ngh…" The Uchiha shifted ever so slightly, before going limp again and letting out a soft sigh, his features completely relaxing on his face. Naruto smiled, resting his head against the wood again.

A rustle in the bushes suddenly jolted him to his senses. Grabbing a kunai, he growled and looking around, ready to protect Sasuke at all costs.

Suddenly, a kunai was thrown straight as his face, in between his eyes. He dodged, the kunai barely grazing his cheek. He grunted and threw his own kunai back, seeing four people dodge and jump into view in front of him.

"Ha… so the Uchiha boy and the demon live on…" A tall male chuckled. "Orochimaru will be _pleased_ to hear that."

Though Sasuke hadn't moved, he was awake, feigning sleep since he knew he couldn't fight. _'That name again!'_ His mind was screaming.

"What do you want?" Naruto hissed, grabbing another kunai and holding it in front of him.

"Well, we were just on a nightly patrol to guard our territory, but wait until Orochimaru finds out we brought his precious student back." He snickered.

"You'll never take Sasuke!" Naruto hollered, throwing the kunai at the man. When he jumped to dodge, Naruto created a hand sign.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He yelled, forming multiple Narutos that surrounded the area. The sound ninja growled, and began fighting the shadow clones. However, being outnumbered, they were all beaten to the ground and unconscious in the blink of an eye. Naruto recalled his clones, smirking triumphantly. He let the smile fade as he realized what had to be done.

He took out a kunai from his pouch, walking over to the four unconscious men and stabbing each one of them in the heart, killing them all instantly and painlessly.

He wiped the blood from his face and threw the kunai to the side, abandoning it as he turned to Sasuke. He hoped the boy hadn't woken up during the fight, but when he saw his wide, terrified eyes, his heart sank to his stomach.

He walked over to the tree and lied down next to him, pulling him tightly to his chest and held him close, rocking him to scare away the memory that he knew would haunt him for a long time.

_~At Orochimaru's Base~_

"Boss! Uzumaki Naruto killed four of our men!" A ninja yelled.

"Really now?" A voice hissed, the body nothing but a silhouette and a shadow against the wall, illuminated by nothing but two torches beside it.

"That's not all! He has Uchiha Sasuke with him! They're alive!" He yelled.

The man's eyes illuminated through the darkness, the pupils animalistic and snakelike. "This makes things interesting." His low chuckle bounced off of the walls eerily.

"What do you want my men to do, sir?"

"No need to dispatch them, I think I'll go pay them a _personal_ visit. Hikaru, go and gather up five ninja, at chunin level. We'll leave immediately. Where is the rest of your team, boy?"

"Uzumaki killed them." He said matter-of-factly. The eyes narrowed at the words.

"Really now? I was considering taking him with but… if maybe its better I kill him." He broke out into laughter, "Give me the location they're at, and have the five people you choose meet me at the entrance."

As the ninja left, the man chuckled to himself, long inhuman tongue slipping out of his mouth, saliva pooling below him.

"_Won't this be interesting…"_

_~Timeskip~_

Naruto's eyes shot open as he heard movement in the bushes once again, taking out a kunai and standing up.

"Who's there? Come out!" He yelled. An in instant, someone shot from the bushes, kunai pointed towards him. He used his own to block it, the metal clashing together.

"Leave us alone!" Naruto hissed at the ninja, kicking him in the stomach. He flew backwards beside Sasuke, where Naruto threw a kunai straight at him. He leapt away from Sasuke into a different spot in the open. Naruto once again summoned more shadow clones.

With six clones on his side, it wasn't hard to take down the ninja, but when another four suddenly jumped into action, Naruto began struggling to take them down as they began killing off the clones one by one. The sound ninja proved to be a challenge, but Naruto eventually had been able to take them down. He stood, panting just above Sasuke's trembling body.

He turned around and looked down at his shaking teammate. "It's alright Sasuke…" He whispered, "Everything is alright now."

Sasuke saw a shadowy figure standing behind Naruto, sword in hand. "Naruto look out!" He gasped. Before he could even turn around, a sword was pierced through his back, sticking out through his stomach. His mouth dropped open in disbelief as blood began trickling down the corner of his mouth. He suddenly lurched forward and spat a huge glob of scarlet liquid to the ground.

"Naruto!" Sasuke cried desperately, turning and beginning to crawl away weakly. He could feel the man's stare pinning him down and he gave a weak yell.

Hands suddenly grabbed him and lifted him into strong arms, where he stopped moving and whimpered quietly.

"Shh… boy. Do you remember me?" The man voice sounded like a snake more than a normal human. Sasuke's eye drifted up to look at the man above him. His skin was pallid and his eyes were snakelike. He instantly recognized it as the man from his lost memory. He whimpered quietly and hid his face, sobbing softly.

"Naruto…" He whimpered.

"Shh Sasuke. No need to cry. He'll die soon and he won't be in any pain anymore. I'll take care of you from now on, so hush child." He soothed, stroking his bangs.

Hearing those words, he began sobbing even harder, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Sasuke… hush child… you're an Uchiha after all, and Uchiha's don't cry… why are you acting so strangely boy?"

"W-what's… Uchiha?" He hiccuped, "I… it's… m-my… last name… r-right?"

The snake looked confused. "Did you lose your memories, child?"

Sasuke nodded. This man obviously knew more about him than he did right now. "W-who are you?"

"Orochimaru the Snake." He broke into laughter. "This'll be fun, Sasuke. But… how did you manage an eye injury?" He asked, his interest rising.

"N-Naru-uto… t-told me… i-it happened… when… o-our home... w-was d-destroy-yed…" He hiccupped again, hearing his best friend's name.

"Shh boy…" He shushed him, putting a finger to his lips. "Enough. I'll take you with me back to my home. You need to rest, child." He brushed fingertips over Sasuke's eye so he'd close them. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"N-Naruto-"

"Will be dead any second now. Now hush child. You need your rest."

He felt the man begin moving away from Naruto, and he began crying more and trying to look back, but the man held him still in his arms. It wasn't until he slowly began sucking out chakra through his fingertips on the boy's forehead that Sasuke had finally stilled. Orochimaru continued using the jutsu until the Uchiha had passed out from chakra depletion.

Finally seeing the boy's visible eye closed and his body going limp, he stopped momentarily, peeling off the bandages around the other eye. He threw them onto the ground and peeled back the eyelid. He grimaced at the sight.

"So Sasuke… it seems you're blind. That's too bad. Without both eyes, I guess I can't use you as my vessel after all. Oh well, I might as well have my fun with you before I leave you to die with your little demon friend."

Orochimaru's words went unheard by the deeply unconscious boy.

**End!**

**Alright everyone, that's it for this chapter. I still feel so bad for the long wait… :(**

**Anyways, hopefully I can update faster for the next chapter than this one.**

**Thanks to Rosebunse, for the idea of everything after the first bandit attack (the first one, with the attack included)**

**Link to Rosebunse's profile:**

**http : / www . / u / 2863309/ Rosebunse**

**Remove the spaces of course ;)**

**Please please PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Until next time~**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


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